


A Thin Line

by BattlingBard, swanqueenfic13



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, fake dating au, proposal au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-21
Updated: 2019-07-07
Packaged: 2019-08-05 07:09:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 21,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16363241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BattlingBard/pseuds/BattlingBard, https://archiveofourown.org/users/swanqueenfic13/pseuds/swanqueenfic13
Summary: Thanks to a new law, non-citizen aliens are now being detained and deported. Editor in Chief, Kara Zorel, is at risk of losing the position she worked hard to get, and her assistant, Lena Danvers, happens to walk in at just the right time.





	1. Lena

_ Fuck, fuck, fuck, shit, god fucking damnit, _ Lena thought to herself, desperately trying to shove her way through the crowd while balancing two coffees on top of a dozen donuts, three muffins, and three breakfast sandwiches—only the coffee was for her.  _ How the fuck does one person need so much food? And she’s a goddamn model with those fucking muscles and not an ounce of fat. Un-fucking-fair _ , Lena cursed, heels clacking auspiciously on the lobby’s dark marble floors.

“Hold the elevator, please!” she called, sighing in relief when she saw someone stick out their hand to hold open the door, allowing Lena to slip in and let the doors shut behind her. 

“Top floor, Lena?” Jess asked. Lena nodded gratefully as her friend leaned over to press the button for Lena since her hands were full. As the elevator slowly emptied with each stop, Lena felt the pit in her stomach grow.

_ I love my job. I need my job. I love my job. I need my job, _ Lena chanted to herself.

“You look like you’re ready to pitch yourself off Miss Zorel’s balcony,” Jess snickered.

“The end of the day can’t come fast enough,” Lena snorted.

“Oh, yeah!” Jess gasped. “You’re leaving for your sister’s wedding tomorrow afternoon, right?” The elevator finally deposited them on the top floor of the building. Jess fell into step with Lena.

“Yeah. Alex is heading out today after lunch, and Sam and Ruby are already there.” Lena checked her boss’ office to confirm that she hadn’t arrived yet before depositing her pastries on her desk. “I just hope the wicked bitch of the west remembers that I took off the next week and doesn’t try to make me come back early.”

“Again,” Winn added without looking up from the computer he was working on. Lena stuck her tongue out at the wiry, young man. His dark hair was spiked and the corners of his eyes crinkled as he laughed good-naturedly at Lena. “Just saying, she’s done it before and she’ll do it again.”

“You’re the maid of honor in your sister’s wedding. There’s no way in hell you’re missing the wedding or anything to come back to work early. She can manage a few days without you,” Jess asserted firmly. Lena wanted to believe that, but her boss had this way about her, this demanding with only a quirk of her eyebrow and a tilt of her head way that had Lena jumping through hoops to follow her orders. Not to mention the fact that Lena really did need to keep this job to pay for her night classes at National City University.

“You know how it goes, Jess. She says ‘jump,’ and I have to read her mind to figure out how high, then jump twice that,” Lena remarked dryly. They were interrupted by the synchronized buzzing of phones, every employee in the bullpen suddenly checking their phone, eyes widening.

_ INCOMING _ , the text warned, sent by the front desk secretary. The air in the bullpen shifted drastically, tendrils of tension and anxiety curling around everyone’s throats. There was a flurry of activity as people moved to straighten their blouses, put their family pictures and decorative baubles into their desk drawers, and working furtively. Lena ran to her desk, putting her headset on and beginning to work through Miss Zorel’s voicemails. The bullpen was silent save for the clacking of keyboards and the underlying buzz of stress as the elevator opened and Miss Zorel stepped out.

Her hair was pulled back into a severe bun at the back of her head, her hair coiffed up, and not a hair was out of place. Her tight, black bodice was sleeveless, leaving her biceps on full display and for a moment, Lena was distracted by her boss’ arms. Miss Zorel’s black pencil skirt was covered in rectangular designs, and as she walked through the office, Miss Zorel pushed her sunglasses on top of her head. Lena hurried to finish transcribing the voicemails on her phone as Miss Zorel made her way through the bullpen, occasionally stopping to check up on what people were doing. By the time she arrived at her own office, Lena was standing with her breakfast and a stack of messages for her.

“Good morning, Miss Zorel. You have four messages,” Lena said, balancing the breakfast pastries on her forearm as she held the door for her boss. “Someone from CatCo called again to discuss their proposal to purchase our journal. Dr. Henderson has some… comments… about the suggested revisions for his article. The photographers need to change one of the photos in the next issue, so they have some revisions to the layout, and a Professor Mari has reached out about a study she’s doing that she thinks we’d be interested in.” Miss Zorel sighed heavily as she sat down, spinning in her chair to face Lena, one eyebrow quirked with her mouth set in a straight line.

“I’ll direct CatCo to the LuthorCorp rep. I can handle Dr. Henderson, and I’ll talk to Professor Mari, and as for the layout revisions, I can bring the proofs up to you right now,” Lena said after a moment. Miss Zorel nodded once. “You have a meeting at nine-thirty with the writers. Oh, and don’t forget that after today, I’m going to be away and unreachable for a week,” Lena added quickly, hoping to slip back out to her desk before Miss Zorel could say anything.

“Lena!” she said sharply. Lena winced, freezing with one heel out the door. “Unreachable?”

“Yes, Miss Zorel. My sister is getting married, and I’m the maid of honor. I took the time off with HR months ago,” Lena reminded her.

“And why does this make you unreachable? You’re my assistant. You are my first line of defense. It’s your job to be reachable at all times should I need you for an emergency,” Miss Zorel reminded her.

“Yes, ma’am. But my hometown is sort of… small. It’s in rural Maine, and the cell signal isn’t always great,” Lena said, trying not to wince as she spoke. Her boss stood, arms crossed over her chest as she stalked around her desk to come closer to Lena. Were Lena not so worried about what her boss was going to say, she might be able to notice how the action caused her boss’ biceps to ripple enticingly.

“A week is far too long. A wedding takes a day at most. You’ll be here tomorrow and Thursday and Friday, and I’ll see you back on Monday,” she said decisively. Lena’s eyes bugged out of her head.

“No! I can’t! The wedding is on Saturday, but the bachelorette party is Thursday, and as maid of honor, there are so many things I need to do to get ready, and-” Miss Zorel cut her off.

“No, it just won’t work. I need you to be reachable at all times. The next edition goes to print on Thursday, so I need you in the office until  _ at least _ Thursday evening. You’ll need to rearrange your flight.”

“Miss Zorel,” Lena said beseechingly.

“Figure something out. Make it work.” Miss Zorel sat back down at her desk as she started clicking through her emails on her computer. The dismissal was clear so Lena went back to her desk, unsure of how exactly she was meant to work this all out. Sometimes, Lena really hated her boss.

* * *

 

Lena decided not to mention this little… hiccup to Alex. She had spoken to HR to make sure her vacation days had been approved by them, so she saw no reason why Miss Zorel would be able to keep her from taking them. She’d just have to be firm with Miss Zorel before she left, telling her that she  _ was _ leaving tomorrow afternoon and there was no way Miss Zorel could make her miss her sister’s wedding.

When Lena arrived at Noonan’s for lunch, Alex was already sitting and their food was on the table to ensure Lena had enough time to eat, talk, and get back to work before her lunch break was over.

“You’re my favorite sister,” Lena gushed before digging into her grilled chicken salad.

“I’m your only sister,” Alex smirked. 

“Only until Saturday,” Lena grinned. Alex just nodded, eyebrows crinkling together. “Uh-oh, there’s the crinkle. Are you nervous?”

“Of course I’m nervous,” Alex snapped, running a hand through her short auburn hair. “What if she realizes she’s making a mistake? What if she changes her mind?”

“Don’t be an idiot. Sam is crazy about you, and she’s not making a mistake. You’re going to have a beautiful, amazing wedding, and then you’ll have a wonderful life together. Maybe you’ll adopt some kids to give me some more nieces or nephews. Maybe you’ll be content with just Ruby. Maybe Sam will talk you into getting a puppy or vice versa. I don’t know exactly what will happen, Alex, but I know that you and Sam love each other, and you’re great together. So, take a breath and  _ relax _ , dear. This is going to be an amazing week and a fantastic ceremony.”

“I know. I know. It’ll be fine.”

“It’ll be great,” Lena corrected. Alex rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

“Whatever. It’ll be great. Think your boss is actually going to let you go and  _ stay _ for this vacation?” Alex teased, but it was clear there was a hint of actual fear. Miss Zorel had forced Lena to leave her parents’ 35th anniversary party after threatening to fire her if she didn’t return early.

“It’s fine,” Lena said confidently. “I went straight to HR to put in for the time off, and I double checked this morning that they approved it.”

“Your boss also has to approve it, usually,” Alex pointed out.  _ Fuck _ , Lena thought, clenching her jaw.

“I’ll figure it out, don’t worry. There’s no way in hell I’m missing your wedding. Can we just… not talk about this right now? I don’t wanna talk about her. I want to talk about wedding stuff,” Lena said, catching her tongue between her teeth and wrinkling her nose teasingly, knowing full well that Alex  _ loathed _ gushing about wedding details.

“You’re so annoying.”

“You love me anyway,” Lena reminded her. Alex just laughed and shook her head.

“Yeah, whatever, kid,” she chuckled. Lena was grateful as Alex allowed the subject of her boss to drop in favor of something less stressful.

* * *

 

Lena returned to the office exactly an hour after her lunch break began. 

Everyone sat at their desks, no one even looking up to greet Lena as she walked through; she figured Miss Zorel must be in one of her infamous moods or dealing with a migraine. Based on the open shutters and light streaming through, Lena figured it was the former. When Miss Zorel was in a bad mood, the air in the office seemed thicker as if she were capable of poisoning the very air with her glares. The office seemed to crackle with electricity, and Lena’s heels clacked ominously on the hard floor. She checked Miss Zorel’s voicemail to find no new messages. Lena rolled her neck in preparation for Miss Zorel’s temper before knocking on the office door—a little bit of caffeine always helped tame Miss Zorel’s moods—and pushing open the door.

“Lena!” she exclaimed. 

“Sorry, I just got back from lunch and wanted to bring you your coffee,” Lena explained apologetically, shutting the door behind her. She spun on her heel to offer the coffee, stopping short when she saw Lex Luthor standing next to Miss Zorel. The CEO was young, not quite 40 yet, but he was as bald as a cue ball. According to the papers, the young Luthor lost his hair in the Smallville meteor shower when he was young. His eyebrows rose in surprise as he looked at Lena, and she tried not to squirm under the combined gaze of her boss and her boss’ boss.

“Oh, thanks, honey!” Miss Zorel said brightly. Lena tried not to show her confusion. “Ah, I know we said we weren’t ready to tell anyone, but I just had to tell Lex that we were engaged!” Since it appeared Lena’s feet were glued to the floor, arm still outstretched with the coffee, Miss Zorel crossed the office to take the coffee and give Lena a brief hug, pecking her cheek.

“Go with it, please,” she hissed in Lena’s ear. 

_ What. The. Fuck?! _ Lena thought.


	2. Kara

An incessant buzzing filled her head.  _ That couldn’t have been more than 3 hours. _

With a groan, Kara rolled over to turn off her alarm, controlling her strength enough to keep it from breaking. She let out a heavy sigh, staring up at her ceiling as she calculated how long she could remain under her covers. Rolling her eyes, she pushed the blanket off her body before jumping off the bed in a blur of motion. Within minutes, she was strolling out of her loft apartment fully dressed and showered with time to spare.

She focused her eyes on her phone screen as she walked down the street to work. Even with the mile-long daily commute and grueling work day, her energy is nowhere near depleted by the time she gets home. Most nights are spent alone in her apartment, trying to force herself to go to sleep. 

As she walked up to the glass doors of Luthor International, her sensitive ears let her know that her presence was noticed by the gasp from the receptionist and slightest increase in heart rate. Pressing her lips into a straight line and raising her chin, Kara strode through the lobby without letting her eyes stray to any of the employees in the room. She let out her held breath once she was in the safety of her private elevator.  _ Is the day over yet? _ Her head flopped against the wall of the elevator as her eyes closed, allowing herself a few seconds to prepare to see the terrified faces in 3… 2… 1…

The doors dinged open to what a human would consider absolute silence on the top floor. Pushing her sunglasses to the top of her head, she began her trek across the office, stopping a few times in an effort to prolong the moment where her assistant would walk into her office with her striking eyes and racing heart. Lena was standing at her office door by the time she arrived.  _ I’ll never know why she puts up with this place… or me. Thank Rao for competent assistants. _ Kara barely listened to the words coming out of Lena’s mouth as her ears teased her with harsh whispered words from people in the bullpen. Sighing, she spun around to speak with her assistant. 

A brief moment of panic seared through Kara’s veins at the thought of not being able to reach Lena, even for a period as brief as Lena would be taking off  _ Seriously, what does she expect me to do without her?  _ Kara wasn’t sure what her assistant was saying at that point; Weddings on Earth were still a foreign concept to her even after over a decade stuck here. Her assistant was one of the few things that got her through the day without setting off her heat vision or flying into space. All Kara could think about was the series of horrid assistants before Lena’s resume found its way onto her desk. Lena walked out of her office before Kara could fully process what she had said to the younger woman. 

The next few hours included several instances of Kara using her x-ray vision to watch her assistant. She refused to ask herself why, but she was unable to focus on her work for long. After watching Lena disappear into the elevator, she slumped into her seat and closed her eyes as her ears followed the familiar heartbeat of their own accord, something they often did when she needed to relax. The sounds of rushed feet and papers shuffling along with worried whispers pulled her mind back into her office just in time to sit up in her chair before there was a knock on her door. 

“Lex,” she muttered with an annoyed sigh. “Come in,” she called out for him to hear.

The door swung completely open to show a black suit clad Lex Luthor with a sly grin…  _ as usual _ . Kara only lifted an eyebrow at him.

Lex’s grin turned into a smirk. “Well, well… Long time no see, Kara.” He stepped inside and closed the door without taking his eyes off Kara. 

“You’re a long way from Metropolis, Lex.” Kara crossed her legs and leaned back in her chair. “What brings you to the west coast?” She tilted her head. “Surely the east coast must be missing its most influential businessman.” The corner of her lips quirked. “After Bruce Wayne.” She couldn’t resist the sore subject.

To her surprise, Lex let out a laugh before sitting in a seat across from Kara. “I just had to come visit the Luthor’s greatest and only prodigy.” 

Kara clenched her jaw.

“Running a successful science journal really looks good on you.” He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. “I still remember the day Mother and I walked into that orphanage.” His smile was almost sincere—almost. “We knew the Luthor empire could use you.”

She lifted her chin as she took in the man across from her. “Is there any particular reason you’re here, Lex?”

Leaning back, Lex chuckled deep in his throat. “What happened to that quiet, little girl that took college classes online for fun?”

“She grew up in a foster home before being shipped off to work for your mother.”

That brought a burst of laughter from Lex as he threw back his head. He settled back into his seat and regarded Kara. “It was a nice foster home.” He shrugged as if that somehow made it better. “And those years with my mother brought you here… Editor in Chief of one of the top science journals in the world, holding a position in the Luthor dynasty that many would kill for. That’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

Kara hummed in thought. “So it’s a dynasty now?”

Lex waved a dismissive hand. “Fewer families have reached our level of power.” His eyes narrow as if he’s staring straight into Kara’s soul. “And you know how much Luthors love power.”

“If I remember correctly, that love of power is what led the Luthors to me.”

“You are not mistaken.”

Having enough of the games, Kara pressed her palms against the top of her desk and leveled her gaze at Lex. “You’re not one for reminiscing, Lex, and I do have work to do.”

Lex’s back straightened and his grin nearly made Kara break her desk. “You really will make a fantastic Luthor.”

Kara’s breath escaped her as she used every ounce of willpower to maintain control of her powers, a secret long kept from everyone - powers accidentally discovered during some of her darkest moments. 

“Only the most significant of names will be extended invitations, of course. Seeing as you lack even a distant cousin or estranged aunt to invite, we’ll forego designing the venue into two sides. Naturally, you will ultimately make the move to Metropolis.”

With her heart hammering in her ears, Kara found herself short of breath as Lex’s intentions began to set in. “If this is your idea of a joke -”

“Have I ever been known to joke, Kara?” Lex’s smile completely vanished as he leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and hands clasped. “You seem to forget your situation.”

“I’ve forgotten nothing.” Kara hoped her face didn’t betray her emotions.

“You may walk, talk, and breathe like us, but you are not from here. The Luthors invested in you despite your alien...  _ heritage _ . While your powers don’t extend beyond your intelligence and admittedly impressive capacity to learn new things, you are still an  _ alien _ .”

“What does this have to do -”

“A source has disclosed some information I believe you will find deeply pertinent.” His absolutely predatory grin returned. “Within a month, ICE will be beginning a new initiative: extra-terrestrial immigrants will be gathered, evaluated, and either placed into camps or shipped off.”

Kara’s eyebrows shot into her hairline. “Shipped off?”

“Of course, there are options for your kind to no longer be at immigrant status.” His eyes narrowed at her. 

“I’m guessing that’s where you assumed you would be coming in.” Kara tried to ignore the panic threatening to overtake her.

“Oh, Kara, that  _ is _ where I come in.” He placed his hands on top of her desk to lean even closer to her. “You have no options here.” He paused for a moment to regard her. “Thanks to an anonymous tip about Luthor International’s Editor in Chief.”

Anger flashed through Kara. She stood up, sending her chair flying back from the speed. “You reported me,” she accused, unsure why she felt shocked. 

“Now, now, Kara.” Lex also stood as he held up his hands in what he intended to be placating. “I would never do anything to compromise my soon-to-be wife’s future.”

“Ha!” Kara couldn’t hold in the guffaw. “First, forgive me for finding it hard to believe you. Second—and I cannot stress this enough—I am not your future wife.” Kara crossed her arms over her chest. 

The responding smile from Lex dripped with condescension, and Kara couldn’t remember the last time she hated something that much. “Again, you are forgetting—”

“I am not.” Kara rounded the desk to stand directly in front of Lex, clear rage radiating off her skin. She could feel the sting of her heat vision threatening to break free. “You can’t just walk in here and make assumptions, threatening me into marrying you.”

“You would rather be thrown into some ship and sent outside of our galaxy?”

“I—”

Lex took a step closer to her, using his height to glance down at her. “You’ve been living on our planet so long, do you really think you could handle giving up this life and finding a new planet all over again?”

“You can’t—”

“You have no options, Kara. They aren’t going to offer a visa, let alone citizenship, to someone that reads words for a living.”

“I don’t—

“Marriage is the only way you can stay on Earth.” He smiled down at her in triumph. 

Kara’s mind raced. Ideas flashed through her mind and were just as quickly shut down. Just when she mentally began listing various planets she visited in her childhood, a familiar heartbeat broke through her frenzied thoughts. She didn’t even consciously think the plan before her mouth was speaking on her behalf. “Then I guess it’s a good thing that I’m already engaged.” The brief flash of shock on Lex’s face spurred on Kara, a hint of smugness settling into her voice. “We were going to have a longer engagement to truly plan a wedding suitable for the love we share, but I’m sure she won’t mind a small ceremony in the next few weeks.” She smiled. “We can always have a big event later.”

A lifetime of being a Luthor made stammering out a response impossible for Lex; he paused in his astonishment to gather his words. When he finally spoke, his voice was calm and collected. “I wasn’t aware the elusive Kara Zorel was even capable of getting someone to spend any one-on-one time with her, let alone be willing to say ‘yes’ to a proposal from you.” His eyebrow quirked. “It only makes sense that you did the asking. I suppose I can believe that someone would say ‘yes’ to you—if at least out of fear or perhaps your money, but I can’t see—”

“She asked me!” Kara winced at her sudden outburst. Subtly clearing her throat, she continued with more control of her voice. “It came as a surprise, but it was deeply romantic.”

“‘Romantic’ isn’t a word I was aware to be in your vocabulary.”

Kara feigned surprise at the knock on her door, adding a bright smile that was only partially fake upon seeing her assistant, thankful for the reprieve and praying to Rao that this won’t come crashing down on her. 

She watched Lena register the other person in the room. Kara angled herself between Lena and Lex once she made the announcement and walked up to greet her ‘fiancée,’ taking the opportunity to whisper a plea in Lena’s ear. She placed a hand on Lena’s elbow as the younger woman’s racing pulse filled Kara’s ears. Taking a deep breath, Kara slid her hand from Lena’s elbow down to the cup of coffee, taking it into her hand before sliding her other arm around Lena’s waist as she faced her boss. 

“While I’m sure your offer was purely from the kindness of your Luthor heart with no ulterior motives,” she smiled at Lex, “I’m afraid I must decline.” She turned to smile at Lena, who was thankfully not saying anything even with her widened eyes. “As you can see, we make too cute a couple for me to even consider it.” She shrugged with the shoulder of her free arm as she looked back at Lex, who remained impassive.

“So I see.” He nodded as he looked Lena up and down. “I’m glad it all worked out.” Lex stepped past them, but stopped with a hand on the doorknob to look back at the two women. “I look forward to receiving my invitation.”

That’s the moment Lena apparently decided to find her voice. “I wouldn’t get your hopes up.”

Kara sucked in a sharp breath, her fingers flexing against Lena’s hip. Before she could think of a save, Lena spoke again.

“It’s a pretty small guest list.”

“I see.” Lex eyed Lena again, but she just returned his gaze without moving from Kara’s hold. “Do tell me where to send my engagement gift.” He glanced sideways at Kara. “I’ll make sure it’s out of this world.”

Kara tensed at Lena’s side, but Lex pulled open the door and left without another word, closing the door behind him. She stayed frozen in place for long enough to make Lena clear her throat. Looking down with a crinkle on her forehead, she saw Lena give her a pointed look, tracking from her eyes to Kara’s arm and then back to her face.

“Oh.” Kara jerked her arm away as if it were possible for her to be burned. She stepped back from Lena, and brought the coffee cup to her lips, chugging half of it and missing the widening of Lena’s eyes. Too late, Kara realized the coffee would be considered hot. Playing it off, she paced across the office to her desk, setting the cup down before tapping her fingers on her desk. She let out a sigh before turning to face her assistant.

She opened her mouth to give some sort of explanation to the woman still looking at her with an unreadable expression, but nothing came out. Clearing her throat, she crossed her arms as she gathered her thoughts. “I’m sorry,” she said on an exhale, surprising herself at the sincerity of the words.

Lena’s eyebrows went up - shock evident in her features. “I, uh… What?” She rubbed her palms against the fabric over her thighs. 

_ I’m sure I’ve had crazier ideas… at some point. _ Kara tapped her fingers on her arm, forcing herself to not back down now. Especially not to a human. “I suppose an explanation would be an ideal place to start.” She squeezed her hands around her arms, not missing Lena’s eyes dropping to watch the movement. 

“I think I deserve at least that.” Lena met Kara’s eyes unflinchingly.

Kara’s arms dropped to her sides, mouth opening to deliver a retort, but it died on her lips, leaving her to slightly gape into the green-blue eyes across from her. She turned the motion into a huff of a sigh, something she realized was rather undignified to be doing - especially in front of one’s assistant.  _ We’re probably just a little past dignified at this point. _ Breaking the eye contact, she slipped behind her desk, allowing Lena to witness her flop into her office chair. She placed an elbow on the arm of her chair as her hand came up to rub her temples. “This is such a mess,” she muttered.

“What was that, Miss Zorel?” Lena took a step toward the desk. 

“I just…” Kara bit back what wouldn’t have been the kindest of remarks. She waved a hand at one of the seats across from her. “Call me Kara.” Her eyes softened. “Please.” She ignored the relief and feeling in her stomach when Lena sat down… somehow in the seat that Lex did not earlier occupy.

“Okay…” Lena dragged out the word. “Kara,” she shuffled in the seat, “did you just tell the CEO of LuthorCorp that you, Kara Zorel, and I, Lena Danvers, are engaged?”

A slow nod was her response.

Lena nodded her head slowly, still watching her boss. “And I went along with it…” She bit her lip. “We’re not going to have to—”

“They’re going to deport me.” Kara held her breath at her second outburst of the day.  _ Breathe. No flying off the handle.  _ She internally winced at the sight of Lena’s wide eyes, but clearly the younger woman was waiting for her to speak. “Look,” Kara rubbed the side of her head as she did a quick scan through her office door into the bullpen, “if I buy you as much food as you want from any restaurant you want, will you come over to my place?”

The slight gasp accompanies an uptick in Lena’s heart rate, and Kara replays what she just said. “Oh! Wait!” She cleared her throat, hating how she hasn’t been able to gain control of her composure since Lex left them alone. “That was  _ not _ supposed to sound like…  _ that. _ ”  _ Why is this happening? _ “I just meant that what I have to tell you… it’s not a great idea to talk about here.”

“You know,” Lena began to stand to leave, “I don’t think I need to hear—”

“Wait!” Kara stood abruptly, holding up a hand to forestall Lena. “Lena, you don’t understand.”

“Miss Zorel,” Lena sighed and ran her fingers through her hair, “I know sometimes… things seem to elude you.” She shuffled on her feet, but her voice gained confidence as she spoke. “I’ve been working for you for two years, and I notice things.” Kara refused to believe there was sympathy in Lena’s eyes. “I get it.” She held up her hands. “Everyone has those socially awkward moments.” She sighed. “But, Kara,” hearing the soft way Lena said her name tightened Kara’s chest, “this isn’t the kind of thing you can say to someone that works for you.”

Kara rubbed her palms down the front of her shirt, straightening her spine and getting closer to her usual demeanor. “Lena,” she raised her chin, “I want to formally apologize for my behavior. I am not sure what came over me, but I do want to assure you that your job is not in danger; however, I…” Her voice cracked slightly and she slowly blinked. “I entirely understand if you no longer wish to be my executive assistant.” She swallowed heavily, feeling a growing sense of dread at losing Lena. “I will, of course, provide you a transfer to any department you would like.”

Lena closed her eyes and looked up at the ceiling, muttering something under her breath that even Kara couldn’t decipher. She shook her head before letting out a deep breath. “Okay.” She looked back at Kara. “I’ll give you one hour.”

“What?” Kara blinked.

Holding up a finger, Lena once again met her boss’ eye without flinching. “You will have one hour to explain whatever this,” she gestured with her other hand between the two of them, “story is.” Kara held her breath, and Lena held up another finger. “You come to my place—” Lena held up a hand to stop Kara when she opened her mouth. “—at eight o’clock tonight. Bring whatever food you want.” Kara opened her mouth again, but Lena once again stopped her. “I know how much you love food and your ability to eat more than I’ll probably ever understand. Just bring ice cream with whatever you choose.” 

_ I don’t know how I feel about her seeming to just know things about me. _

A third finger is held up. “You edit and offer feedback on my dissertation.”

_ That’s it? _ “You have yourself a deal, Lena.” Kara held out a hand by pure habit, smiling a little when Lena shook it.

Lena squeezed Kara’s hand one last time as she reminded Kara, “Just one hour, Kara.” She released Kara’s hand and stepped back a few steps. Her hands folded in front of her and she returned to her assistant voice. “Will that be all, Miss Zorel?”

Kara wasn’t sure how to respond to that raised eyebrow being sent her way after everything that happened since Lex stepped into her office. “No. Thank you, Lena.”

* * *

 

“Argo Street,” Kara said to herself as she found what she was looking for. She walked to the apartment at 1022, pausing outside to remind herself why she was doing this, something she had done repeatedly throughout the day. As she walked up the stairs, her hand clenched and unclenched around the handles of the bags with her second dinner and dessert. Her fist hovered in front of the “4A” when she stopped.  _ Fuck it. _

The door swung open to reveal Lena dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt. “Oh.” Lena blinked several times. “Oh,” she said again.

“Oh?” A crinkle appeared between Kara’s eyebrows.

“I—I—sorry.” Lena shook her head. “It’s just that you’re wearing a t-shirt.” She looked down. “And jeans.” 

“I don’t remember one of your stipulations being a dress code.”

“Oh! No. I didn’t mean—” Lena cleared her throat and stepped back to clear the entrance. “Come in. Let’s get this over with.”

Kara was surprised to feel a sting of hurt at Lena’s words, but walked inside the studio apartment. She stopped only a few steps inside, waiting as Lena closed and locked the door. 

“You can take all that to the couch.” Lena breezed past Kara to go into the kitchen. “Do you want something to drink?” 

“Water would be great. Thanks.” She hesitated before shuffling the few feet to the living area, looking around at Lena’s apartment. She didn’t notice Lena come near her while she was lost in a picture of what was obviously a young Lena with a brunette girl who couldn’t be more than a few years older than her. The older girl had her arm around Lena’s shoulders, and they were both smiling. 

“I’ll put those in the freezer.” Lena grabbed the bag with ice cream from Kara’s hand with ease, taking Kara by surprise.

“Right.” Kara nodded as if that was the most brilliant idea she had ever heard.

“Just sit down.” Lena nudged Kara closer to the couch. 

The sudden, casual, physical contact shocked Kara speechless, and she dropped onto the couch without a word, setting the bag of food on the coffee table as she sat. With a sigh that sounded a touch exasperated, Lena pulled out the food containers. That shook Kara back into the present. “I got your usual from Noonan’s.” 

Lena’s movements froze, and she turned to look at Kara. “What?”

_ Shit.  _ “Whenever I’ve seen you eat from there, that’s what you got.” She nodded her head toward the container Lena opened after seeing her name on it.  _ I absolutely did not hear you order it on the phone through my closed office door.  _

“Oh… okay.” 

They ate in silence for a few minutes. Lena moreso picked at her food, while Kara tried to drown her nerves with the food. 

Lena closed the lid when half was still left. “It’s been fifteen minutes, and you haven’t even started to explain anything.”

Kara nodded from her position as far away from Lena on the couch as possible. She took her time chewing the food in her mouth to give her that much more time. Without looking up at Lena, she decided to just start with what will be the largest shock. “I’m not from here.” She hoped Lena would prompt her for more, but Lena remained surprisingly calm beside her. “Not just National City.” She risked a side glance at Lena, who was watching her with an unreadable expression. “I’m…” She swallowed heavily. This has never been something she has outright told anyone. “I came here when I was about 13.”

She saw Lena’s slow nod out of the corner of her eye. “So your family moved here from another country? Many families do that. It’s—” Kara was shaking her head once Lena said ‘family’.

“I’m not from another country.” Kara was no longer paying attention to her food, but looking straight ahead of herself.

“So you’re…” Lena trailed off.

“Yes.” Kara let out a breath. “I am about as immigrant as they come.” She let out a laugh completely devoid of humor and set her abandoned food on the coffee table. “Before you came into my office today, Lex Luthor was giving me insight into ICE’s new initiative to get rid of all of us.”

“Oh.” Kara saw Lena turn away from her. Suddenly, Lena stood. Turning her head, she watched Lena walk to the kitchen.  _ What is she _ — _ oh… _ Lena returned with the bag of ice cream and two spoons.

“Does your appetite have anything to do with you being an alien?” Lena asked casually as she sat down, holding out a spoon for Kara.

Her hand froze in midair as she reached for the spoon. “Alien” had never been a word she heard with anything less than disgust or hate. She shook her head and grabbed the spoon before Lena could comment. “Thanks.” She cleared her throat and grabbed one of the containers of ice cream left on the coffee table. Lena had already begun to eat hers, and Kara couldn’t help but wonder how Lena could be so calm.  _ Because she now has something over you _ , a voice that sounded strangely like Lillian whispered to her _.  _ Swallowing the lump in her throat, Kara finds her voice. “Yes.” She heard the coldness in her voice, but she needed Lena to know that this part of the conversation was over.

“So he must know,” Lena said after swallowing a mouthful of her ice cream. “I can’t see you being the one to just bring up marriage… so I’m guessing he suggested you marry him, and that bald head just wasn’t doing it for you?”

To both of their surprise, if Lena choking on her ice cream was any indication, Kara let out a loud burst of laughter, leading to the ice cream on her spoon to fall onto her shirt. Lena’s choking turned into a chuckle as she watched her boss’ eyes widen. Without thinking, Kara lifted her shirt to eat the ice cream straight off her shirt, but stopped it mere inches from her mouth. 

“Here.” Lena handed her a napkin.

“Thanks,” Kara mumbled as she cleaned up the mess on her shirt. It was a few moments later when she spoke again. “You’re not wrong.”

“Hmm?”

“What you said about the, um, marriage thing.”  _ Oh Rao. I can’t believe I did that.  _ Suddenly, it hit her that she told Lex freaking Luthor that she’s engaged to her assistant, she is sitting on said assistant’s couch, and there’s a good chance that this will be her last month on Earth.  _ Unless I go into hiding… _

“So it was just timing.”

“What?” Kara was brought out of her thoughts of flying to some island.

“If I hadn’t walked in when I did… you probably wouldn’t have had to pull me into this.”

“To be fair, I don’t think he believes it.”

“You can’t really blame him.”

Kara sighed and stabbed at her ice cream with her spoon.  _ I probably deserve that.  _

“So what’s the plan?”

“What?” Kara’s head snapped up to Lena. 

“The plan.” Lena points between them with her spoon. 

“The plan?” 

Lena rolled her eyes and scooped up a large amount of ice cream. “So much for getting any sleep tonight,” she murmured, so softly she probably figured Kara didn’t hear her.


	3. Lena

“Lena, are you alright?” Jess whispered as soon as Lena exited the office. Lena, still trying to process the fact that her boss basically just proposed to her, just hummed curiously in response. “Why was Mr. Luthor here? Why were you in there so long?” 

“Oh, uh, I’m not sure why Mr. Luthor came here. Miss Zorel and I were just discussing her schedule for when I’m gone, that’s all.” The lie came easily, and Lena felt a twinge of guilt; Jess was one of her best friends, and they normally told each other everything—especially when it came to dealing with Miss Zorel. Thankfully, Jess let the subject drop, and Lena was able to get back to work.  _ Thank God for compartmentalization _ , Lena thought, pushing all thoughts of proposals and deportation and Miss Zorel out of her mind as she answered all of Miss Zorel’s emails.

* * *

 

Lena had to resist the urge to pour herself three fingers of whiskey the moment she arrived at her apartment.

_ No, no… You need to be fully in control of your mental faculties for this damn conversation,  _ she berated herself. So with just under two hours to spare until her boss arrived at her apartment, Lena hopped in the shower. The hot water scalded her skin, but it was heaven to her aching muscles and the knot of tension that had formed between her shoulder blades.  _ She can’t seriously expect me to marry her, can she? I mean she’s not completely out of her mind, is she?  _ As Lena lathered her body, she tried to remember the office’s full policy on sexual harassment; the proposal wasn’t inherently sexual or crude, but it was rather inappropriate for the workplace.

“Fuck,” Lena sighed softly. This was a mess. Once she was rinsed off, Lena stepped out of the shower and put on a comfortable pair of jeans and her National City University sweatshirt. Usually, Lena would be in sweatpants and a t-shirt with no bra and her glasses as opposed to her contacts, but she figured she should look a little nicer seeing as her boss was coming over.

“Oh shit,” Lena murmured, looking around her apartment. It was small, but well furnished with new appliances, paintings, and mismatched but comfortable furniture. However, Lena was so often exhausted at the end of a long work day that she neglected to clean up. Stray socks and shoes were draped over every surface. Half-full glasses and empty plates sat next to the couch, and her small kitchen table was covered in open textbooks, notebooks, and loose pages. “Son of a bitch,” Lena groaned. She  _ hated _ cleaning. Well, Miss Zorel was due to arrive in an hour and a half, so she figured she’d better get working.

As Lena cleaned, she let her mind wander. What she really wanted to do was call Alex to discuss this with her. Ever since they were small, Alex was able to help Lena with her problems, be it a classmate teasing her or a bad grade on a test or an experiment that just wasn’t working the way she wanted it to. The impulse to call Alex to vent and try and figure this out was strong, but Lena knew her sister was far too stressed out about her impending nuptials; she didn’t need the added stress of Lena’s problems.

Lena just sighed and continued cleaning, trying not to stress out about the upcoming conversation.

* * *

 

Punctual as ever, Miss Zorel knocked on Lena’s door at exactly eight. Lena, who had been waiting nearby in the kitchen, swung it open, stopping dead in her tracks when she laid eyes on her boss.

“Oh.” Miss Zorel really ought to dress down more often. Out of her Louboutins and expensive dresses, Lena was able to appreciate Miss Zorel’s toned form in several new and exciting ways. The blue of her t-shirt really brought out the blue in her eyes, and Lena ached to see the way the black skinny jeans made Miss Zorel’s ass look. “Oh.”

“Oh?” Her boss wrinkled her brow, and Lena was pinching the skin of her palm behind her back, berating herself for being such a useless lesbian and stammering out how surprised she was to see her boss in such a casual outfit. “I don’t remember one of your stipulations being a dress code.” Lena just awkwardly fumbled through her response, finally just giving up and inviting Miss Zorel to sit on her couch as she put the ice cream in the freezer. She returned to find her boss looking at the photos of her and Alex and their parents through the years. Lena’s ears blushed crimson at the thought of someone like Miss Zorel looking at her awkward teenage years.

“I got your usual from Noonan’s,” Miss Zorel said casually as they settled in to eat, and Lena froze.  _ Isn’t it my job to know your food order, not yours to know mine? _ Lena bit back the witty retort. After clearing her throat, Miss Zorel added, “Whenever I’ve seen you eat from there, that’s what you get.” Lena just nodded, and they sat in awkward silence as they ate.  _ Fuck, I hate this _ .

“It’s been fifteen minutes, and you haven’t even started to explain anything,” Lena eventually said once her discomfort reached its breaking point. Lena then sat back patiently as Kara began to explain the particulars of her immigration situation, only pausing to get ice cream. As she spoke, Lena wondered just how many of her boss’ quirks (like her heightened appetite and the way she always seemed to know it was Lena at the door without ever looking up) were actually just enhanced alien abilities. She didn’t mean to voice her inner musings and felt guilty when Miss Zorel looked so caught off guard by the question.

Lena swallowed her ice cream thoughtfully. “So he must know then. I can’t see you being the one to bring up marriage—”  _ especially not with him _ , Lena thought, “—so I’m guessing he suggested you marry him, and that bald head just wasn’t doing it for you?” Lena remarked drily. When Miss Zorel started to laugh, Lena choked on her ice cream. It wasn’t like she’d never heard the woman laugh before, though they were usually fake laughs for the sake of being professional and polite. Lena had never heard such an unrefined, uproarious sound come from her boss before, followed by Miss Zorel laughing so hard she dropped her own ice cream on her shirt, pulling the fabric up and making to eat it straight from her shirt. She refrained from the undignified act when Lena offered her a napkin, still trying to get over her own shock at her boss’ laughter.

“You’re not wrong,” Miss Zorel said eventually. “What you said about the, um, marriage thing?” she clarified after Lena hummed.

“So it was just timing.” Lena found herself feeling strangely disappointed in that, though she dared not let herself try and figure out why.

“What?”

“If I hadn’t walked in when I did… you probably wouldn’t have had to pull me into this.”

“To be fair, I don’t think he believes it,” Miss Zorel offered.

“You can’t really blame him,” Lena said. She didn’t think it was all that believable to be completely honest; she did the same thing when Rick Malverne asked her out in the tenth grade and told him she was dating Veronica. Lena watched as Miss Zorel seemed to stab at her ice cream rather forcefully, idly wondering if Miss Zorel had super strength or if she was just frustrated. “So what’s the plan?” Lena asked when it was clear Miss Zorel wasn’t about to offer anything more.

“What?” Lena knew her boss wasn’t stupid—she’s seen at least five PhDs on her wall and countless master’s and bachelor’s degrees, and she seemed to know everything there is to know about the content matter of the science journal—often times even better than the writer of the article—but wow, could she be  _ dense _ sometimes.

“The plan.” Lena gestured between the two of them with her spoon. Miss Zorel just repeated after Lena and looked confused. Sighing and rolling her eyes, Lena took a sizable spoonful of ice cream, muttering, “so much for getting any sleep tonight,” before shoving it into her mouth.

“We need a plan if we’re going to make this believable—and it will be believable. What we’re doing is defrauding the federal government, not to mention treason and terrorism, should they feel like calling you a threat to national security. Knowing the influence Mr. Luthor has, I would bet he’ll have ICE agents checking on us, so our plan needs to be airtight. We need to know everything about each other. We need a backstory. We need to figure out how to tell our friends and families, so that they believe us. We have so much shit to figure out if we want this to work,” Lena rambled, listing off the things they needed to do on her fingers.

“There’s no family to tell,” Miss Zorel said curtly. She cleared her throat. “At least not on my part. All of my friends are professional acquaintances, so that’s easy enough as well.” Lena felt like such an idiot; she was in charge of Miss Zorel’s calendar, and she  _ knew _ there were no social appointments in there.  _ Foot, meet mouth, _ Lena thought, suppressing a grimace.

“I only meant… I tell my sister everything and to be hiding something so important from her is just… it’ll be seen as suspicious, is all,” Lena fumbled, awkwardly trying to ease the intense atmosphere that Miss Zorel’s words had created.

“Well, I am your boss. We could say that we were worried about appearances, so I made you promise not to tell anyone,” Kara suggested.

“We decided together not to tell anyone,” Lena revised, knowing the kind of shit Alex would start if she said her boss (and apparent  _ fianceé _ ) had “made her” do anything. “But how long have we been together? How did we get together? Who proposed? Surely they’ll have a whole list of questions to ask us to prove we’re a real couple, so we’ll have to study up on each other. Maybe I can find that list online,” Lena mused. She grabbed the nearest notepad and began taking notes. When she looked up, Lena found Miss Zorel smirking at her. “Sorry, I’ve always needed to write my thoughts down to organize them.”

“Don’t apologize,” Miss Zorel said, waving a dismissive hand. “It’s helpful. Also, you should know I told Lex that you were the one who proposed, and that it was very romantic, so…” she trailed off with a shrug. Lena scribbled that down, already trying to figure out how this fake proposal would have gone. A thought suddenly occurred to Lena.

“Oh God.”

“What?” Miss Zorel looked around quickly as if scanning for an intruder.

“I just realized something. You’ll have to come to Alex’s wedding with me. It won’t look real if you don’t come.” Lena stood then, pacing frantic laps around her couch. “I’ll have to call Alex and tell her I’m bringing someone important to me, that I didn’t want to introduce her until I knew it was serious… And we have to get you a plane ticket! I hope my mom can find a spot for you to sit at the wedding. Oh God, and you’ll have to meet Ruby and Sam and Maggie and everyone… and you’ll have to know things about them so it looks like I shared funny anecdotes with you… This is going to blow up in our faces. This’ll never work. You realize this, right? The ICE agents will know we’re a sham, and they’ll send me to prison, and you’ll go back to your planet, and I’ll never get to finish my thesis, and I’ll never be somebody.” 

Lena closed her eyes and stood stock still, feeling the beginnings of a panic attack looming. Resting one hand on top of her head and the other on her chest, Lena tried to focus on her racing heart and shallow, rapid breathing. If she could fix either of those two issues, Lena knew she could avoid a full blown panic attack.

_ “Look at the waves,” Alex had told Lena the first time she had a panic attack, taking her hand and leading her over to the window that looked out over the ocean. Lena was five and had woken from a nightmare about the mean man from the foster home she’d been in before the Danvers adopted her. He would get angry and throw things at walls, but in Lena’s dreams he was always throwing things at her. That evening, she woke up in a state, feeling like she was dying because she couldn’t breathe. Alex, only seven herself, had crawled into the younger girl’s bed and wrapped her arms around Lena’s shaking form before pointing her towards the window. “When the waves are coming in, you breathe in. When they crash on each other and make that white foam, you hold your breath. Then, when the waves are going back to the ocean, breathe out. Like this.” As Alex held her, mimicking deep, slow breaths, Lena felt herself slowly relaxing. _

Even now, years later, Lena would still picture the waves when she needed to calm down quickly. Lena had learned more than a few tips and tricks for stopping a panic attack in its tracks, but this was certainly the most reliable. When Lena finally opened her eyes, exhausted and feeling very much in need of a good night’s sleep, she made eye contact with Miss Zorel, suddenly remembering her boss was still in the room.

“Are you alright?” Miss Zorel asked, her voice soft and her face almost… gentle.

“I—I’m so sorry about that, Miss Zorel. I didn’t mean to just—to fall apart like that,” Lena whispered, mortified and unable to look her boss in the eye for longer than a few seconds, choosing instead to keep her eyes trained on the ice cream bowl in her lap. She startled slightly when Miss Zorel put one finger under Lena’s chin and pushed it until she was making eye contact. Lena felt her eyes burning with embarrassed tears.

“Lena, has anyone ever told you that you apologize too much?” She smiled when she said it, and Lena couldn’t help but laugh, a watery and shaky laugh, even to her own ears. Wiping her eyes clean, Lena sniffled and smiled back at her. “You need to sleep, and I need to pack. Oh, and you’ll need to book me a ticket for that flight out to Maine with you. Make sure it’s first class, not business. Use the points if you can. Oh, and I suppose you should use any extra points to bump yourself up to first class as well. Send me the details when it’s done.” With that, Miss Zorel stood, swiftly grabbing her purse and her coat. As she let herself out, she looked over her shoulder at her assistant. “Have a nice night, Lena. I really do thank you for doing this.” She was gone before Lena could say goodnight.

* * *

 

Lena was awake before her alarm the next morning as she double checked her bags to make sure everything was packed. As soon as Miss Zorel left last night, Lena had used her boss’ credit card to book the last two first-class seats on the flight to Portland, Maine before cancelling her own economy class ticket and arranging a car to bring them both to the airport. Lena had fallen into bed, exhausted and overwhelmed with the prospect of introducing her boss to her family as her fiancée. She had woken up only a few hours later from nightmares about ICE agents and a federal prison cell. But as the sun rose higher, Lena knew she’d have to call home sooner or later.

She started with her mom.

“Hello, dear! What are you doing up so early? It’s barely sunrise there! Your flight doesn’t take off for a few hours,” Mom said enthusiastically.

“Hi, Mom, yeah I just couldn’t really sleep. Anyway, I had something important to tell you, and I don’t really know how to do it, so I’m just gonna say it,” Lena said, gesticulating wildly with her free hand as she paced around her apartment. 

“Okay,” her mother said cautiously.

“I want to bring my… girlfriend… to the wedding. And before you say anything—” Lena cut her mom off as she began to speak “—I didn’t tell anyone about her because I knew you wouldn’t like it, and I wanted to see if it was anything serious before telling people. But it is… it’s real, Mom. She means a lot to me, and I don’t want to hide her anymore.” Lena wasn’t sure where she was getting any of this from, but she hopes it sounds believable. 

“Lena, sweetheart, as long as you’re happy, we’re happy. We can’t wait to meet your girlfriend. Who is it?” Lena worried her bottom lip, squeezing her eyes shut as she spoke.

“It’s Miss Zorel—Kara, my boss.” Silence. “Mom?”

“No, honey, I’m sorry, I’m just… I’m processing. She’s just not… who I expected. You’re really dating her?” Lena couldn’t blame her mom for sounding so taken aback.

“She’s important to me. I really care about her.” These weren’t lies, Lena was surprised to find. As much as she hated her job sometimes, she really did love it. “And I know it’s probably frowned upon because she’s my boss and everything, but I just didn’t want to hide this.” The falsehoods and all the lies by omission left a sour taste in Lena’s mouth.

“If you care about her like that, then we will care about her as well. I’ll make the changes to the seating plan to accommodate her.”

“Thank you, Mom. I’ll call Alex and Sam and talk to them about it, too. How’s work going? How’s Dad?” They chatted for a bit longer before hanging up so that Lena could call her sister.

“What’s wrong?” Alex asked in a deadpan.

“Hello to you, too,” Lena chuckled.

“Good morning. You’re calling me on the morning you’re supposed to be leaving on a plane to come to my wedding rather than just waiting until you see me at the airport later today. This makes me think that the Wicked Bitch of the West is telling you that you can’t leave today. Am I wrong?”  _ Okay, can’t blame her for thinking the worst _ , Lena mused.

“Actually, you are. I’m all packed and ready to go. I just… I have something important to tell you.” 

“Am I going to like this news?” Lena could practically see her sister’s raised eyebrow and unimpressed grimace.

“Can you just stop? Please? And let me finish?” Lena begged, suddenly far more anxious than she had been telling her mom. Alex knew her better than anyone else and would surely know if she was lying. How could she ever expect this to work?

“Fine,” Alex grunted. If Lena weren’t so stressed about this herself, she would be more understanding of Alex’s short temper, chalking it up to nerves about the wedding. As it was, Lena couldn’t really find it in herself to be too sympathetic.

“I’m bringing my girlfriend to the wedding. I talked to Mom a few minutes ago and she said she could work it out with the seating plan. I just—I couldn’t tell you because I knew you’d hate her, and I just wanted to see if it was real, but now it is and I feel bad for lying and not telling you things, but I promise I’ll explain it better when I get home. Oh, and my girlfriend is Kara, my boss.” Lena bit her lip to stop her continued ramblings. Lena looked down and realized her hands were shaking as she waited for Alex to say something. “Al?”

“I’m sorry, I must be hallucinating or something because there’s no way you just said you’re dating your  _ boss _ .”

“Alex, come on—” Lena started.

“No! No, hang on. So, you’re trying to tell me that all the times you’ve been complaining about what a bitch your boss is, you’ve been seeing her? And you just—what?—forgot to tell us?”

“I—I knew you’d react like this! Alex, I promise I’ll explain when we get there. I’ll tell you everything you need to know,” Lena pleaded. She really did want to tell Alex everything, though she supposed it would be cruel of her to give up Miss Zorel’s secret. “Please?”

“Fine, but I expect a  _ full _ explanation, and you’re definitely paying for pizza.”

“Obviously,” Lena said with a smile. With promises to text as soon as she landed, Lena said goodbye, collapsing backward onto her couch. “ _ Fuck _ ,” she whispered softly. Shit was getting real.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note from BattlingBard... It's my fault it's taken so long for an update. We stay a few chapters ahead of what we have posted, but we only post a new chapter when one is finished. I promise to try to keep on top of it better!


	4. Kara

Hearing Lena talk about the people in her life almost sent Kara flying out of the window.  _ Secrets be damned. _ She always knew Lena was likely to be someone loved and cared for by those in her life. After all, Lena managed to become an integral part of Kara’s life without even realizing it. Kara didn’t want Lena to have any rifts in her family, and she certainly didn’t want to be the cause of them. “Well, I am your boss. We could say that we were worried about appearances, so I made you promise not to tell anyone.”  _ That would offer a little bit of foreshadowing for a reasoning behind a future divorce. It’s the least I can— _

“We decided together not to tell anyone.”

_ Wait, what?  _ Kara was pulled from her imaginings of the conversations Lena would be put through. She couldn’t help but stare at Lena as the younger woman proceeded to list out a series of questions. Without Kara’s permission, a fond smile teased at the corner of Kara’s lips as she was overcome by a wave of gratefulness for the woman currently scribbling fiercely on a notepad.  _ Where did she even grab that from? _ Kara internally flinched when Lena apologized since their current predicament is solely her fault. Admitting to Lena that she had told Lex that her fiancee was the one that did the proposing brought a fluttering in her stomach along with another surge of guilt.  _ What was I thinking? _

“Oh God.”

Thankfully, Lena interrupted Kara’s straying thoughts of Lena and marriage proposals. “What?” Picking up on Lena’s worried tone, Kara scanned the studio apartment with her x-ray vision, allowing her ears to listen for anything that may be of danger to her…  _ My what exactly? _ She wasn’t really sure what to call Lena now.

Kara felt glued to the admittedly comfortable couch as she listened to and watched Lena grow more and more frantic. She allowed herself one moment, just one, to imagine a world where she was “someone important to” Lena… to anyone, really. One world did come to mind, a world that hasn’t been in existence for over a decade.  _ Lena has an entire family, an entire world, of her own here. That’s all I want. Although… I didn’t ask to be sent to a world that would kick me out simply because I’m different.  _

“... and you’ll have to go back to your home planet…”

_ Yeah… good luck with that.  _ Kara’s eyes went unseeing as she turned her head toward the window facing out to National City.  _ I could probably buy enough food and supplies to escape to some secluded mountain or island.  _ Kara’s brow furrowed as she got the feeling that something was different.  _ Oh. _ Lena had gone silent. When Kara looked toward the other woman, she too went still as she took in the sight of Lena with her eyes closed and breathing erratically. Of their own volition, her ears zeroed in on Lena’s frantic heart rate. Her mind went blank as the thumping drowned out all other sounds. It took great effort to keep from reliving some of her darkest moments, times in her life when everything in this new world was too overwhelming. Many of these moments led to her discovering what abilities the yellow sun thrust upon her. 

Kara filled her senses with Lena, focusing on the other woman to keep from losing control over her own emotions. She finally started breathing again when Lena’s heart returned to a healthy pace. Her hands twisted together to keep from accidentally breaking something from her nervous fidgeting as she waited for Lena to do or say anything. Lena’s green eyes came into view, and Kara’s chest felt constricted all of a sudden. Although she knew Lena’s heartrate went back to normal, she needed verbal confirmation that Lena was alright.

Realizing Lena was still upset and clearly concerned about Kara having seen her in such a state, Kara allowed herself to be there for the other woman in a way that no one has been there for Kara since she was placed into a pod and forced to watch her planet explode _ — _ only to turn away from the blast in time to see a giant rock blast straight into the pod that was sent off only moments before hers, leaving her truly alone. She raised Lena’s chin with a gentle finger, offering her a genuine smile and making a decision in that moment.  _ What harm could going to one little wedding cause? _ “Lena, has anyone ever told you that you apologize too much?” The smile Lena gave her was new and brought Kara’s heart rate back up to a near-alarming rate.  _ I need to get out of here _ . Rambling out an excuse that sounded reasonable, Kara mentally calculated how far she would have to fly to get away from the sounds of people and civilization.  _ Speaking of flying… _

She rattled off instructions briskly, hoping to keep Lena from commenting on the ease with which Kara agreed to go to her sister’s wedding. “Make sure it’s first class, not business. Use the points if you can.”  _ Wait, she probably got the cheapest ticket available for herself. There’s no way I’m sitting on that flight by myself.  _ “Oh, and I suppose you should use any extra points to bump yourself up to first class as well. Send me the details when it’s done.” She hurried to stand, making sure she didn’t say something needy like asking Lena to ensure they are seated next to each other.  _ Well don’t just storm out of her house when you’re going to be stuck with her for who knows how long.  _ “Have a nice night, Lena.”  _ Okay, that’s enough.  _ “I really do thank you for doing this.”  _ Go!  _ Kara rushed out of the door, heading straight to the nearest alley and up into the night sky without a second thought. 

The Kryptonian stayed in the sky, soaring above the clouds and out of sight until long after all sounds of human life had faded. Hovering somewhere over Antarctica, Kara closed her eyes and hummed a song from her lost childhood. She spent hours flying in random patterns above the clouds until the sun started to peek over the western hemisphere. Landing on her rooftop patio in the grey light of the dawn, she took a few minutes to stand there as the breeze rustled her hair. With her eyes closed and head tilted back, she stood in complete stillness as she waited to feel the first rays of the sun hit her skin. She sucked in a long breath as the sun washed over her body before finally opening her eyes again. With a nod, she turned around and walked into her apartment. She had a couple of hours before the car would be arriving for her, so Kara decided to take a scalding hot shower while she mentally recited several chapters of  _ Wicked _ . Lena, proving to Kara yet again why she is a phenomenal assistant, not only sent their travel details, but she also attached helpful information on the people Kara would be meeting.  _ Did she get  _ any  _ sleep?  _

Naturally, with the aid of superpowers, she was sliding into the town car with sunglasses firmly on her face and her bags being placed into the trunk. 

“Wait,” Kara called out to the driver, “pull in here.” 

“Yes, ma’am.”

Kara climbed out of the car without another word, striding into the business and returning to the car a few minutes later. The driver didn’t question her, driving away when she signaled that she was ready to proceed to Lena’s apartment across town. Upon pulling up to the apartment building, Kara told the driver to wait there. He professionally hid his surprise when she opened the door and walked straight into the front door. 

“Kara?” Lena’s eyes were wide in evident shock when she answered the knocking at her door to see her boss standing there in jeans and a black button up shirt. She shook her head a little.

Oddly pleased at the apparent ease with which Lena called her by her first name, Kara offered her a small smile. “Good morning.” She held out her right hand, holding the coffee cup that went unnoticed by Lena if her raised eyebrows were any indication. “Black, three sugars, yellow.” When Lena only blinked at her, she bit her lip and looked down at the cup in her hand with a furrow to her forehead that was becoming annoying at how often it seemed to be happening. “That’s how you usually take it, right?” Kara glanced back up in time to see Lena bringing her own gaze back to Kara’s _ — _ though she was unsure where Lena’s eyes were focused.

“Oh!” Lena cleared her throat. “Yes.” She shook her head. “Sorry.” She reached for the cup, careful to avoid accidentally grazing Kara’s fingers. “Thank you. You didn’t have to do that.” She smiled at Kara and took a step back, opening the door wider as she took a sip of her coffee. 

Kara tilted her head down to hide her smile behind her curls as she walked into Lena’s apartment. “I wanted to. We were passing one of my favorite shops.” She shrugged nonchalantly and turned to face Lena. 

Lena closed the door behind Kara and began to quickly run through their travel plans, rushing through the part where they would be crammed into a small plane from New York to Maine before they would be alone in a rental car for three hours until they reached the hotel across town from the Danvers home. As she spoke, Lena walked around her apartment to check that electronics were unplugged, the air conditioning was off, and other random tasks were completed. Kara stood only a few feet inside of the apartment, watching and listening, but remaining silent as she occasionally sipped at her own coffee. Just when her mind was threatening to stray from her, Lena was walking toward her with her bags and what was clearly a forced smile.

“Ready?” Lena asked.

“Let me help you.” Kara said at the same time, reaching for the larger of Lena’s two bags. 

Lena’s hand hung in the air from where it was holding the handle of her suitcase before dropping to her side. “Oh.” Kara lifted the suitcase by the side handle, opting to carry it instead of using the wheels. “You don’t have _ — _ ”

“Stop.” Kara help up the hand that was holding her coffee, wanting to avoid making this more awkward than the entire situation already was. “You’re going to have to get used to me doing things for you while we are in front of your family and friends, so may as well start now.” She thought back to conversations and situations she imagined happening between her and Lena while she was flying all night. One such conversation she thought through was on the topic of what rules she would need to follow. Given who she is and her background, dating is something that has never happened for her. In the foster home, she was the freak that didn’t fit in and would read all the time. In boarding school, she was the pet project of the Luthors and clearly lacking social skills. In college, she wanted to avoid the Luthor shadow that plagued her for the three years she was in boarding school, so she kept to herself and acquired her degrees as quickly as possible. Physical contact was also a terrifying concept for her. Beyond the occasional hand shake, she only shared a few high fives with Lex, a forced hug with her foster mom when she left… and there was the one night stand she had when she flew to Australia after getting her first PhD. She put on glasses, kept her hair in a ponytail, and dressed in layers that included a cardigan before walking into a random club. After the woman had fallen asleep, Kara left her apartment and took off into the sky to head back to the states. 

Letting out an audible breath that puffed her cheeks, Lena nodded to herself before squaring her shoulders and facing Kara. “Let’s do this.”

A surge of guilt flowed through Kara.  _ I’ll try giving her another out.  _ “Lena, we don’t _ — _ ”

“Maybe we should just,” Lena holds up a hand to still the expected protest from Kara, “agree now to stop going back and forth on,” she waves the hand between them, “this.” She stands straighter, meeting Kara’s eyes with a confidence that surprises her boss. “I know we haven’t really gotten into talking about, um, everything, but we should probably take the travelling time to get used to acting like we at least like each other in public. Then we can talk about… rules and boundaries, I suppose, while we’re driving that last stretch.” As she spoke, her voice gained more certainty in her words. 

Kara’s mouth opened, but now words came to mind. She licked her lips, telling herself it was an attempt to play off not speaking for several seconds. “That works for me.” Keeping her voice from being just a whisper took more effort than Kara was willing to admit to herself. 

Before she could say anymore, Lena was gesturing with her free hand toward the door. “Lead the way, Kara.”

Spinning on her heel, Kara faced the door before adjusting the grip on the suitcase in order to be able to open the door. “After you, Lena.” She leaned back against the door for Lena to pass through.

Shaking her head, Lena rolled her eyes with a smile that Kara couldn’t place. “I could have opened the door.” She stepped through easily,only having her backpack on her shoulders and coffee in one hand. “But thanks.”

Kara only shrugged in response, watching Lena lock up her apartment before leading the way downstairs and to the waiting car. Kara kept her eyes trained out of the window for the ride to the airport, leaving Lena to tap away on her tablet. Again, Kara insisted on handling Lena’s suitcase as they entered the airport. Few words were exchanged until boarding was called.

“That’s us.”

“What?” Kara was brought back from her mental calming methods that included reciting passages of her favorite books, thinking of experiments and activities for the STEM conference she secretly plans and funds for children, and changing the mental subject every time her mind began to think about her current situation.

“Time to board.” Lena gestured with her head toward the plane.

“Oh. Right.” Kara stood, grabbing both of their carry-ons to have something to do with her hands. Repeating something similar to what she saw a couple do earlier, she held Lena’s backpack up for Lena to slide her arms through the straps.

Lena stammered for a moment, and Kara forced herself to smile in encouragement when she saw Lena’s cheeks coloring slightly. “Thank you.”

“Here we go,” Kara whispers more to herself, but she doesn’t miss Lena’s answering nod.

Settling into the flight to New York went by without incident. While trying to focus on her book, a hardback copy that Kara chose in order to make sure Lena couldn’t easily see what she was reading, Kara’s attention kept slipping from her. Beside her, Lena was typing something. Kara, being a private person herself, wouldn’t allow herself to see anything more than a screen full of text. Believing a more comfortable position may be helpful, she slid down in her seat as she reclined it and bunched up the blanket on her lap to give her book a place to rest. The pages and words in front of her became her eyes’ sole focus as she let her hearing filter out all sounds until only Lena’s steady heartbeat beside her remained.

“Kara.”

A familiar voice was teasing at her mind.

“Kara.”

The voice was closer this time.

“Kara, darling. Take my hand.” The voice was soft, but Kara could make out some of the words.

“What?” Kara blinked her eyes into focus, rolling her head to find Lena looking down at her.  _ I fell asleep? _ Her eyes widened when she realized where her head was. She sat up in her seat, quickly removing her head from Lena’s shoulder. 

“I said we’re starting to land.” She gave Kara an odd, almost searching, expression. “You seemed tired, so…” Lena only shrugged instead of finishing her sentence.

“Oh.” Kara cleared her throat, pushing past the rising heat in her cheeks as she began to look through her blanket.

“Your phone is in your jacket, and your book is in your bag.” Lena’s eyes didn’t move from her organizing of her own bag.

“Oh.”  _ Is that all you can say? _ Kara internally rolled her eyes at herself. “Thanks.” After drinking half of the contents of her water bottle, Kara sat back in her seat with a sigh as the announcement was made of their impending descent. A plastic bag of cookies appeared in front of her, causing her to sharply turn to Lena with a questioning gaze.

Lena gave her a half smile. “You just slept for about four hours and haven’t eaten since before we took off.” She wiggled the bag. “I was hoping this would hold you over until after we land.”

“Oh.”  _ There I go again. _ “Did you _ — _ Did you packs snacks for me like a child going to preschool?” She smiled at Lena to show there was no bite to her words, although the smile was already spreading on her face at the idea of Lena giving her cookies. 

Huffing out a surprised laugh, Lena pushed the bag into Kara’s hand. “I know your appetite better than anyone.” She nudged Kara with her elbow. “Plus I can’t let my fiancee starve.”

Kara froze with her eyes wide and staring at the cookies in her lap. She didn’t have a single word to say to that - not even “oh.” Lena cleared her throat and shuffled in her seat. When the plane began to noticeably tilt toward the ground, Kara saw Lena grasp the armrests. Tilting her head, she watched as Lena’s grip tightened and focused her hearing on the younger woman’s breathing and heart. Lena’s eyes fell closed, and, for the second time in as many days, Kara acted on instinct and reached out for Lena. Setting her cookies aside, Kara slowly placed her hand on the hand currently maintaining a death grip on the armrest between them. She felt Lena’s body stiffen, but before she could remove her hand, Lena’s hand was flipping over and entwining their fingers. Kara could only stare at their joined hands as Lena’s eyes remained close. 

That’s how they remained until the plane slowed to a stop. Lena’s grip on Kara’s hand loosened as she exhaled. Kara watched Lena’s eyes open before they turned toward her. They both opened their mouths, but were interrupted by a woman’s voice announcing their time to unboard _ — _ causing both of them to quickly look away from each other. Kara reached for her bag with her free hand and threw it over her shoulder before throwing a nervous smile at Lena. “Ready?” Lena nodded, but didn’t make a move to stand. Their eyes met, and Kara raised an eyebrow in question. Lena’s eyes dropping down led Kara’s eyes to follow their path. “Oh.” She freed Lena’s hand from her grip as if it was hotter than the sun. “Sorry.”

“Let’s go.” Lena’s voice held a tone unfamiliar to Kara. 

Neither spoke as Lena stood and led them off of the plane. The flight attendants offered their smiles and waves, but Kara was watching Lena out of the corner of her eye while avoiding outright looking at her. Once they were out of the gate and walking toward the next, Lena pointed toward their right. “There’s a food court around that corner with a Chinese restaurant.” She smirked over her shoulder at Kara. “There are potstickers.”

Kara gapes at her.  _ How did she know? _

“I’ve been placing food orders for you for two years.” Lena’s eyes remained ahead of them as they walked.

_ Did I say that out loud? _ Kara’s eyebrows pinched together as she tilted her head in thought.

“No, you didn’t say that out loud.” Lena turned over her shoulder again. “So are potstickers okay?”

Kara could only nod slowly as she stared back at Lena, who turned forward once she had her answer.  _ Can she read minds?  _ She decided to test her theory by thinking of a few statements that would garner a reaction from Lena, but the woman didn’t even twitch or change her breathing. They managed to find a decently private area in which to eat; Kara was nearly through two orders of potstickers when Lena broke the silence.

“My sister’s name is Alex, by the way.” Lena keeps her eyes on her food that she is currently stabbing at with her fork. “I called her and my mom this morning to tell them that I’m bringing my girlfriend.”

With a potsticker on the way to her mouth, Kara’s head shot up to stare at Lena, who was still not looking at her.

“My mom’s name is Eliza, and Jeremiah is my dad. Alex lives in National City, too. Her fiancee is -”

“Samantha Arias, but she goes by Sam.” Lena’s head flew up with wide eyes, leading Kara to question if she said something wrong despite her memory of the information Lena emailed to her the previous night. “Sam has a daughter named Ruby.” Lena only continued to stare. “Before Alex asked Sam to marry her, she asked Ruby if she was okay with that.” Kara tilted her head in thought, taking her eyes off Lena. “Which isn’t something I have heard of in Earth’s customs, but I do respect Alex for that decision.” 

“I see.” Lena narrowed her eyes at Kara. “So… you read my email?”

“When have I ever not read your emails?” Kara asked sincerely, not understanding why Lena would need to ask.  _ She’s the only person’s emails that I open immediately. _

Lena returned to pushing her fork through her food. “I’m not sure I would know the answer to that.”

Kara shoved the almost forgotten potsticker into her mouth, buying herself time before responding. “Also, Alex’s ex-girlfriend will be there, but they are good friends, so I shouldn’t bring up their previous relationship, which ended on good terms as they were just in different places in their lives.”

“Wow.” Lena chuckled and shook her head. “You really did read all of it.”

Nodding, Kara took another bite. “It seemed to mostly be family and a few friends of Alex’s and Sam’s. I suppose that’s to be expected since it is their wedding, and you said it is going to be a small affair.”

“That’s… accurate.”

“You didn’t include details on anyone’s occupations, so I thought that would be a suitable topic of discussion when I inevitably have to talk to people.” 

“Yes.” Lena bit her lip, avoiding eye contact suddenly. “That could work… We just have to be careful when in public.”

Kara sucked in a sharp breath, remembering something from earlier and not wanting to begin this weekend that way. “I won’t entirely have to pretend,” she admitted with an internal wince.  _ The things I do to stay on this planet that I’m not even sure is worth living on. _

“What?” Lena’s confusion was clear.

“Earlier… You said that we have to pretend to at least like each other in public. I just wanted to say that I don’t _ — _ I don’t dislike you, Lena.” She tried to offer her a smile, but felt it may have come out more pained than happy. “You’re an exceptional employee, and you doing this… I know it’s a ridiculous situation, but I do promise to take care of everything financially _ — _ from the wedding to the divorce.” She ignored the odd feeling stirring in her stomach. “I’ll, of course, be leaving you with a stipend to compensate for any hardships and inconveniences.”

Lena’s mouth had fallen open at some point when she finally brought her face up to look at Kara. “That’s…” 

The expression on Lena’s face was uncharted territory for Kara, and the feeling in her stomach was becoming more unsettling, so she took advantage of the time Lena was taking to seemingly find her words. “Perhaps we should make our way to the gate. I’d like to spend the time we have before we board going over revisions before we go to print on Thursday.” She stood, shouldering her bag and collecting her food containers with her full Editor in Chief posture. Instead of grabbing Lena’s bag, Kara took several steps away from the table as she pretended to survey the area around them, watching Lena pause a moment before picking up her backpack and standing to lead the way to the next gate. 

By the time they had to board, Kara had read over all of the edits. Twice. She opened the email from Lena one more time to review and test herself. Lena remained silent at her side, typing away on her own work. They must make quite the pair. As they boarded the small plane, Kara tried to remain calm to survive the next two hours in a cramped plane with less than 30 other passengers. Lena stood aside to allow Kara to take the window seat again; Kara took a step toward the seats, but paused for a moment. “I don’t mind taking the aisle this time.”

Lena shook her head. “You’re more likely to look out the window than me.”

Kara took note of that, but made no comment as she slid into the seat. After Lena’s behavior during the landing of their last flight, Kara paid more attention to Lena as they prepared to take off. Lena pressed her back completely against the seat and closed her eyes.  _ Did she do this last time? _ Between staring out the window and reading her book, Kara didn’t give any mind to Lena during their last take off. Lena didn’t completely relax _ — _ her heart rate still high even when the plane leveled in the sky. Kara’s eyes stayed on her book, but she listened for any signs of distress from Lena, wanting to avoid another incident like the one in her apartment the previous night. When their descent was announced, Kara was hit by the sudden realization of what she was about to do _ — _ what  _ they  _ were about to do. Her hands went slack where they were holding her book in her lap while her mind began to taunt her. The plane jostled as they began to angle down, and Kara felt a warmth on her hand. Dropping her gaze, she found Lena’s hand grasping hers. She flipped her hand over in Lena’s grip, and the other woman immediately tangled their fingers together. Kara could see that her eyes were still closed, and she watched Lena until the plane stopped at the gate, turning away when Lena’s eyes started to open. Freeing her hand, Lena quietly gathered her bag and unbuckled her seatbelt. Neither spoke or looked at the other as they stepped off the plane and walked to the baggage claim. 

_ This was a terrible idea _ . 

Keeping Lena in her peripheral vision, Kara followed her to the number where their bags would soon appear. 

“Welcome to Maine.” Lena finally looked at Kara, giving her a tight smile.

“Thanks.” Kara bit back several comments _ — _ ranging from the state of the airport to it not being too late to back out of their agreement. 

“So… this is where I grew up after the Danvers adopted me.” Lena shrugged. “Well, not here-here. In Maine. But up more north west than right here.” She checked her watch and then her phone. “It gets a lot colder than Midvale, but it’s nice.”

The attempts at small talk fell flat as Kara began to truly question this plan. They have never spoken much before, and she is now going to be spending several days with Lena.  _ At least I’ll have time alone at nights while at the hotel. _ She sighed in relief when the bags began to come down the slide. Far too many bags that weren’t theirs came down first. If it weren’t for her years spent around Lillian Luthor, she likely would have been tapping a hole in the floor with her foot instead of just clenching her jaw and staring at the the baggage claim as if it were personally offending her.

“Those are ours,” Kara announced before dashing toward the belt. She grabbed both suitcases and began walking back toward Lena before the younger woman could take more than two steps.

“You do know those have wheels, right?” Lena raised a single eyebrow at Kara.

Shrugging, Kara glanced around to look for a sign pointing them toward someone that could get her into a rental car. She hadn’t told Lena that she had only driven once before, when she took the test to get her license, and she didn’t plan on telling her any time soon… especially the part where she barely passed. “We’ll _ — _ ”

“Lena!”

Kara was interrupted by shouting, followed by excited squeals, running footsteps, and a gasp from Lena. She tightened her grip on the two suitcases, keeping her back to Lena and the source of the shout.

“Surprise!”

_ Rao, please don’t let that be… S _ he turned in time to see Lena being attacked with a hug from a child that came just past her elbows. 

…  _ Lena’s family. _ “Crap,” she muttered as she watched a woman with a kind smile walking up to Lena at a far more dignified pace than the little girl. 

“Lena, dear.” The woman pulled Lena into her arms, and Kara suddenly had to look away from the way Lena melted into the hug and the soft smiles on both of their faces. Leaning back from the hug, the woman held Lena at arm’s length as she seemed to appraise her. “Someone simply couldn’t wait to see you.” She grinned down at the little girl standing beside them. “How was the flight?”

“Um, it was fine.” Lena’s heart rate increased.

Kara saw the woman cup Lena’s cheek with one hand and share a meaningful look with Lena. “Good, I’m glad.” She moved her hands to give Lena’s upper arms a squeeze before her smile changed into an expression Kara couldn’t name. “Now let me see this girlfriend of yours.”

Eyes wide and breath held, Kara took a couple of steps backward, but she froze when the woman’s eyes met her. She held her breath, prepared for everything to come crashing down at that moment. The woman gave Lena’s arms one last squeeze before releasing them and closing the distance between her and Kara, standing right in front of her.  _ Oh, Rao. _ Kara’s hands fidgeted with the handles of the suitcases still in her hands.  _ I could probably fly out of here fast enough to— _

“You must be Kara.” She smiled at Kara. The woman, who was just hugging Lena, actually smiled at her.

“You must be Eliza.” Kara channeled the voice she used when speaking to the board members.

Without warning, Eliza pulled Kara into her arms, rubbing her back as she hugged who she believed to be her daughter’s girlfriend. The suitcases dropped to the floor from Kara’s suddenly limp hands. Though Kara didn’t know whether it was more form absolute shock or pure horror. Eliza didn’t seem to be bothered by Kara’s lack of returning the hug as she stepped back from the hug and smiled at her.

Lena cleared her throat, and the other two women turned toward her. “Mom,” she stepped closer to place a hand on Kara’s arm, “this is Kara.” She turned and smiled at Kara. “My girlfriend.” Kara hoped her acting skills could be as convincing as Lena’s.

“It’s so great to finally meet you.”

Kara wasn’t sure if she believed that _ — _ especially considering the things Lena has probably said about Kara as her boss…  _ if she ever talked about me before yesterday _ . A tight smile appeared on her face, but as she opened her mouth to speak, she felt a tug at her sleeve of the arm opposite Lena. Looking down, she saw a shy smile directed up at her.

“You’re Kara?”

She nodded back at the little girl, aware of Lena’s racing heart beside her, where she still had a hand on Kara’s arm.

“Do you like the ‘Wizard of Oz’?”

_ How?! _ Kara stared back at the girl in surprised confusion.  _ Surely, there was no way Lena could know that. _ “Um, yes. Yes, I do.”

The girl smiled in triumph. “That’s what I thought!” She bounced on the balls of her feet.

“Ruby, darling, what _ — _ ” 

Apparently, Ruby didn’t hear Lena. “My mama Alex calls you...”

“Ruby!”

“... wicked witch of the west.”

Lena wasn’t quick enough as she stepped up to Ruby and placed her hands on the girl’s shoulders. Kara refused to glance up at Lena, expecting an expression on her face that would match the nickname she had heard said by others around the office. Kara spoke before anyone else could, knowing it was her own fault she was in this situation.

“There’s more to the witch than most people know.” She found herself able to smile _ — _ even if it was more at her reference than at the little girl. Being nice to the child seemed like a good idea to keep from angering Lena’s family. “You can call me Kara.” Curious about why Lena was breathing funny, she snuck a glance at her, finding an unreadable expression there. 

“Well now that that’s settled.” Eliza clapped her hands, bringing all eyes to her. “We’ve got a long drive ahead of us.”

_ We?! _ Kara began to panic.

“You drove all this way to pick us up?” Lena gaped at her mother.

_ I guess neither of us thought about why they were here. _

“Of course, dear.” Eliza patted Kara’s shoulder and bent down to grab the handle of the suitcase nearest to her, which ended up being Kara’s. “You both must be exhausted from a full afternoon of travelling.” She began to roll the suitcase as she started to lead them toward the exit. 

Kara and Lena looked at each other, but before either could speak, Ruby’s hand slipped into Lena’s. “Come on, Lena.” Kara didn’t want to believe she saw an apology in the look Lena sent her. 

“I _ — _ ” Kara’s protest stuck in her throat when a small hand caught hers. Yet again, a member of Lena’s family caused her to freeze.

“Ruby, you—”

“It’s fine.” Kara’s voice was strained, but she didn’t want Lena to say anything to Ruby that would cause the girl to think she lived up to the title Lena had evidently told her sister about. She only dared to curl her fingers a little for fear of holding the small human too tightly. “We should get going.” She stooped down to pick up Lena’s suitcase. “We’ve got a long drive ahead of us.”

Ruby wasted no time in tugging both women’s hands as she led them after her grandmother.


	5. Lena

Lena was in the middle of a chapter when she felt a presence on her shoulder. She looked down to find Miss Zorel— _ Kara _ , she corrected herself. They’re getting married; she needs to call her Kara—Kara’s head had dropped onto her shoulder, eyes closed and mouth parted. All of the hard angles and sharp lines of her jaw were softened in sleep as she puffed out little breaths. Kara’s hands had gone slack, barely maintaining a grip on her book, legs tucked up to hold it in place. Lena carefully took the book, marking the page before stowing it in Kara’s bag. She also grabbed Kara’s phone before it fell from her lap and tucked it into Kara’s jacket pocket, settling back down to relax for the rest of the flight. Without meaning to, Lena rested her cheek on top of Kara’s head, letting herself rest her own eyes for just a few minutes.

 

Lena, always a light sleeper, woke when the flight attendants announced the beginning of their descent. Shocked that she, too, had fallen asleep for so long, Lena blinked her eyes sleepily, clearing her throat a few times before she started to wake Kara. “Kara.” Her boss gave no response. “Kara,” she tried again, elongating the syllables. Her boss began to stir, nose twitching and eyes shifting beneath still-closed eyelids. “Kara, we’re starting to land.” Lena isn’t exactly sure where  _ that _ came from, but it did the trick. Kara opened her eyes, blinking in surprise.

“What?” she rasped. Lena smiled at her sleepy confusion.

“I said we’re starting to land. You seemed tired, so…” Lena trailed off with a shrug.

“Oh.” Kara began to pat her lap, searching through her blanket.

“Your phone is in your jacket, and your book is in your bag.” Lena kept her eyes trained on her own bag as she packed up, nodding when Kara thanked her. Pulling out the little baggy, she smiled and offered it to Kara, who turned to raise an eyebrow at her. “You just slept for about four hours and haven’t eaten anything since before we took off.” Wiggling the bag enticingly, she added, “I was hoping this would hold you over until we land.”

“Oh,” Kara said again, appearing thoughtful. “Did you—did you pack snacks for me like a child going to preschool?” She smiled when she said it, and Lena wouldn’t deny that that comparison  _ had _ crossed her mind when she was packing her carry-on with more snacks than she would normally eat. Lena just laughed in response and pushed the bag into Kara’s hands.

“I know your appetite better than anyone. Plus, I can’t let my fianceé starve.” Kara said nothing to that, and Lena squirmed in her seat, increasingly aware that the plane was beginning to angle down. She tried to maintain focus on her breathing as her mind was suddenly consumed with reminders that most plane crashes occurred within eight minutes of takeoff and landing.  _ It’s statistically much safer than driving a car, _ she reminded herself, buckling back up and sitting upright, head back and eyes closed as she gripped the arm rests tightly. When Lena felt Kara’s hand nudging at hers, Lena stiffened before flipping her hand and intertwining her fingers with Kara’s. There was no denying that the warmth of Kara’s hand was much preferable to the cold plastic of the airplane seat. Lena didn’t let go until the plane came to a stop, letting out an audible exhale. She opened her eyes slowly, turning to thank Kara before being interrupted by a flight attendant announcing that it was time to get off the plane.

“Ready?” Kara asked once they had both gathered up their belongings. Lena nodded, but made no move to stand up, still holding Kara’s hand. “Oh,” Kara exhaled when she realized. “Sorry.” She dropped Lena’s hand quickly. 

“Let’s go,” Lena said, unsure why she suddenly missed the presence of Kara’s hand in hers. Lena led the way out before pointing in the direction of the food court. “There’s a food court around that corner with a Chinese restaurant.” She threw a smirk over her shoulder towards Kara. “They have potstickers,” she hummed. Kara gaped at her as if shocked that Lena would know about Kara’s penchant for the fried dumplings. “I’ve been placing food orders for you for two years,” Lena reminded her, keeping her eyes trained ahead of her as they walked. From the corner of her eye, she saw Kara’s brow crinkling as if in thought. “No, you didn’t say that out loud. So, are potstickers okay?” Kara nodded slowly, still looking confused as they walked together, finding a semi-private area to eat and wait for their connecting flight.

“My sister’s name is Alex, by the way,” Lena added while she ate. She had sent Kara an email with all of these details, but who knew if her boss ever read her emails? “I called her and my mom this morning to tell them that I’m bringing my girlfriend.” Lena could feel Kara’s eyes on her, but she kept hers trained on her food. “My mom’s name is Eliza, and Jeremiah is my dad. Alex lives in National City, too. Her fianceé is—”

“Samantha Arias, but she goes by Sam,” Kara interrupted. Lena’s head snapped up in surprise. “Sam has a daughter named Ruby,” Kara continued, though she sounded a little less confident now. “Before Alex asked Sam to marry her, she asked Ruby if she was okay with that,” Kara tilted her head to the side before adding,” which isn’t something I’ve heard of in Earth customs, but I do respect Alex for that decision.” Lena narrowed her eyes, more shocked than anything else.

“I see… So… you read my email?”

“When have I ever not read your emails?” Lena couldn’t handle the sincerity in Kara’s tone and gaze. Lena had to look back down, focusing on the food in front of her before she spoke again.

“I’m not sure I would know the answer to that.” Kara continued to recite some facts about her family and the wedding, proving to Lena that she truly had read the entire thing. Lena couldn’t help but be impressed.

“You didn’t include details on anyone’s occupations, so I thought that would be a suitable topic of discussion when I inevitably have to talk to people.” Lena avoided eye contact. She had intentionally avoided mentioning her parents’ notoriety in the scientific community; she’s spent her entire life being known as the daughter of the Doctors Danvers Duo, superstars in their fields. Lena had been trying to make her own name for herself, hoping to make accomplishments without needing to rely on her parents’ names to open doors for her. Lena sincerely hoped that Kara wouldn’t hold her to different standards once she knew about Lena’s family. 

Lena bit her lip. “Yes. That could work,” she said, because there was nothing else to be said without arousing suspicion. “We just have to be careful when we’re in public.” Kara sucked in a sharp, audible breath.

“I won’t entirely have to pretend,” Kara admitted. It was Lena’s turn to furrow her brow and tilt her head in confusion.

“What?”

“Earlier… you said that we have to pretend to at least like each other in public. I just wanted you to know that I don’t—I don’t  _ dislike _ you, Lena.” Kara offered her a pained-looking smile, and Lena felt her cheeks beginning to warm. “You’re an exceptional employee, and you doing this… I know it’s a ridiculous situation, but I do promise to take care of everything financially—from the wedding to the divorce.” Lena felt a swooping sensation in her stomach when Kara mentioned their inevitable divorce. “I’ll, of course, be leaving you with a stipend to compensate for any hardships and inconveniences.” Lena’s jaw had dropped without her knowledge.

“That’s…” Lena trailed off, unsure of how to respond. She couldn’t quite figure out why her stomach was beginning to hurt, why her cheeks were suddenly flaming.

“Perhaps we should make our way to the gate,” Kara finally said. Lena was grateful; she had no idea what would have come out of her mouth if Kara had waited for her to speak. “I’d like to spend the time we have before we board going over revisions before we go to print on Thursday.” Lena busied herself with cleaning up before cautiously standing up and leading Kara to the gate, ready to bury herself in work to avoid thinking about whatever had just transpired.

 

“Welcome to Maine,” Lena said, giving Kara a tight smile as they headed towards the baggage claim. As nervous as she was about keeping up this lie for the next week—for the next few  _ years _ , really—Lena really was excited to be back home.

“Thanks,” Kara said.

“So… this is where I grew up after the Danvers adopted me.” Lena shrugged, keeping her eyes trained on the baggage claim. “Well, not here-here. In Maine. But up more north west than right here.” She checked her watch and then her phone to distract herself from her eyes misting over, suddenly homesick for the beach house in Midvale, sunny afternoons spent trying to learn how to surf or rainy days curled up on the porch swing with a good book. “It gets a lot colder than Midvale, but it’s nice.” Lena’s eyes suddenly itched with unshed tears. They stood in awkward silence as what seemed to be dozens of bags went around the carousel before theirs appeared.

“Those are ours,” Kara said, seeming to sprint forward and grab the bags, carrying them over with ease before Lena could do more than blink. The obvious display of physical strength was, Lena knew, was likely a symptom of her alien physiology. However, Lena couldn’t deny that it was unbelievably  _ hot _ to watch Kara’s biceps ripple and tense as she carried the bags. She raised an appreciative eyebrow.

“You do know those have wheels, right?” she asked, hoping to subtly remind Kara that they were in public and displaying any alien tendencies could have some potentially catastrophic consequences. Unfortunately, Kara didn’t seem to get the hint. She shrugged and seemed to be looking around. “We’ll—” Kara was interrupted by the excited squealing of a familiar voice.

“Lena!” As Ruby sprinted across the lobby to greet Lena, Lena couldn’t help but smile. She knew that this surprise was probably going to make things more difficult for Kara, but she loved spending time with her niece. Lena just hugged her tightly, grateful that Ruby was there.

“Lena, dear.” The warmth of her mother’s voice soothed something deep within Lena’s soul. She extracted herself from Ruby’s bear-like grip to reach out to her mom, who smiled kindly at Kara before pulling Lena into a deep hug. It had been far too long since Lena had been home, far too long since she’d been able to hug her mom like this. It seemed far too soon when her mom pulled away, holding Lena at arm’s length as she gave her a once-over. “Someone simply couldn’t wait to see you.” She smiled down at the excited six-year-old clinging to her side. “How was the flight?”

Suddenly, Lena remembered how she had gripped Kara’s hand so tight and the feeling of Kara’s head dropping onto her shoulder. “Um, it was fine,” she lied, hoping her mom wouldn’t question her. Her mom just cupped Lena’s cheek and smiled. 

“Good, I’m glad.” She squeezed Lena’s upper arms before raising her eyebrows and smirking teasingly. “Now, let me see this girlfriend of yours.” She squeezed Lena’s arms once more before walking over to Kara, and Lena suddenly found herself praying to gods she wasn’t sure existed that this would go well. “You must be Kara.”

Kara’s response was cool and detached. “You must be Eliza.” Lena watched with mild dread, realizing she hadn’t gotten a chance to prepare Kara for the fact that her mom was a chronic hugger, as her mom pulled Kara into a tight hug, rubbing her back with one hand. There was a loud thud as Kara dropped the suitcases and stood there, clenching and unclenching her fists as Mom hugged her. Seemingly unfazed, Eliza stepped back and smiled at Kara.

“Mom,” Lena said as she cleared her throat, “this is Kara.” Lena gave Kara an encouraging smile. “My girlfriend,” she added.

“It’s so great to finally meet you.” Lena sincerely hoped that Kara couldn’t detect the hints of sarcasm in Mom’s tone. Lena resisted the urge to hiss reproachments at her mom like a teenager. Kara opened her mouth to speak when Lena realized that Ruby had moved from her side and was tugging on Kara’s sleeve. Immediately, Kara’s posture softened. She turned her entire body to face Ruby and a faint smile played at the edge of her lips, nodding in encouragement at her. Lena kept her hand on Kara’s arm, terrified to move or speak lest she break the spell of good fortune that was happening right now.

“Do you like  _ The Wizard of Oz _ ?” Kara furrowed her brow in confusion as realization dawned on Lena exactly what Ruby was about to do. In one of her drunken bouts of venting in her early days at the company, Lena had called her boss the Wicked Bitch of the West. It quickly became their nickname for Miss Zorel, and Lena frequently called Alex to complain about her, using the nasty moniker like her name.

“Um, yes. Yes, I do.” Lena was frozen in horror, stomach in her throat.

“That’s what I thought!” Ruby was bouncing on her toes proudly, looking far too angelic in her denim overalls and pink long-sleeve t-shirt for the words about to come out of her mouth. Still, Lena struggled to make herself react appropriately.

“Ruby, darling, what—” Lena tried to intervene. Ruby steamrolled ahead as if she didn’t hear Lena.

“My mama Alex calls you—”

“Ruby!” Lena cried out frantically, stepping up to place her hands on Ruby’s shoulders to try and silence her.

“...wicked witch of the west.” Lena stared down guiltily at Kara, hoping to convey her apology without words, but Kara was looking at Ruby and biting her lip.

“There’s more to the witch than most people know. You can call me Kara.” Lena inhaled sharply, unable to control her overwhelming gratitude for Miss Zorel’s reaction, watching dumbstruck as she just smiled at the little girl.

“Well, now that that’s settled,” Mom interrupted, clapping her hands to get their attention, “we’ve got a long drive ahead of us.” Lena’s heart plummeted. In her excitement at seeing her family again and panic about Ruby revealing her nickname for Kara, Lena seemed to have forgotten that they were about to be stuck in the car with them for hours.

“You drove all this way to pick us up?” Lena gaped.

“Of course, dear. You both must be exhausted from a full afternoon of travelling.” Mom patted Kara’s shoulder kindly and reached down and grabbed the handle to Kara’s suitcase before leading them towards the car. Ruby slipped her little hand into Lena’s, squeezing it tightly as she started to walk. Lena shot Kara an apologetic look as her niece urged her on.

“I—” Kara let out a choked sound, and Lena looked down, realizing Ruby had grabbed Kara’s hand and was pulling her along, as well.

“Ruby, you—” Lena protested nervously, unsure of how Kara would react to her niece suddenly grabbing her hand. Lena had never seen Miss Zorel interact with kids, never even heard her ask about someone’s kids.

“It’s fine,” Kara interrupted, her voice cracking ever so slightly. Lena’s mouth fell open slightly, watching as Kara’s fingers curled around Ruby’s hand. “We should get going. We’ve got a long drive ahead of us.” Ruby continued to chatter as she pulled them back out towards the parking lot.

“And my mama Alex is gonna marry my mom this weekend! Isn’t that so cool? I get to be the flower girl. None of the other kids in my class got to be flower girl at their parents’ weddings,” Ruby smiled, skipping slightly as they crossed the road towards the parking lot, following Eliza.

“That’s nice, Ruby,” Lena hummed, too nervous to be paying complete attention to her niece. Now that they had actually arrived in Maine, Lena was beginning to wonder whether this was all a terrible idea.

“Do you know what kinds of flower petals you’ll be throwing?” Kara asked curiously. Ruby shook her head. “Ruby, did you know that flowers have symbolic meanings?”

“What’s a Simba-lick meany-ing?” Ruby asked, scrunching up her face in thought. Kara let her head fall back a moment as she chuckled.

“Sym-bo-lick mean-ing,” Kara repeated, enunciating slower. “It means that an object, like a flower, has a kind of hidden meaning, like a secret code.” Lena watched the interaction with fascination as they approached the car. 

“Whoa,” Ruby gasped. “Like spies?” 

“Kind of.” Kara smiled. “And flowers have these secret meanings, too. The types and colors of flowers you send can send out different secret messages. Figuring them out is like a puzzle. For example, red tulips, like roses, are considered a declaration of love. So, if you give someone a red tulip, you’re kind of saying you love them. But if you give them a yellow tulip, you’re telling them their smile is like the sun.” They had reached the car then, and Ruby released Lena’s hand to allow her to put their bags in the trunk, holding tight to Kara to continue the conversation.

“She’s a natural with Ruby. It’s very sweet,” Eliza murmured quietly. The tips of Lena’s ears burned red.

“I—I—um, you’re—yeah,” she stammered as she heaved the heavy suitcase into the trunk.

“Are there other flowers with secret codes?” Ruby asked. 

“Oh, there’s plenty. Like blue violets mean ‘I’ll always be there for you,’ and viscaria flower was commonly used to ask someone to dance. Sweetpeas are about goodbyes. Calla lilies mean beauty while orange lilies mean hatred. It’s very useful to know which flowers mean which things, I think.”

“Wow! You know a lot about flowers. Do you get my aunty Lena flowers a lot? What’s her favorite kind of flower? Ooh! What does it mean?” Ruby asked as she pulled open the door to the SUV. 

“Ruby, don’t attack her with so many questions,” Lena chided gently, coming around the other side of the car to help Ruby get into her car seat and properly buckled into the harness. Kara hovered just outside the car door, unsure of where to sit.

“Sit anywhere you like, love,” Eliza called out warmly, startling Kara with the affectionate nickname. 

“I want Kara to sit next to me!” Ruby declared, kicking her feet.

_ Oh boy _ , Lena thought to herself. Kara may have been doing well with Ruby for a few minutes, but for a few hours? Ruby was a chatty kid sometimes, and Lena wasn’t entirely sure if Kara was ready for that. However, much to Lena’s surprise, Kara just slid right into the back seat, buckling herself in next to Ruby and continuing their conversation.

“I like to give your aunt Lena plumerias. They were my mother’s favorite flowers, and they remind me of her. But, they also symbolize positivity. That’s why I like giving them to Lena. She’s always been good at keeping me positive,” Kara explained quietly. Lena, who was climbing into the front seat with her mom, just bit her lip to hide her smile.

“Are we ready, ladies?” Eliza asked, glancing in the rearview mirror to check on the girls.

“Yeah!” Ruby cried out as Lena and Kara murmured their assent.

“Then let’s get going. It’s at least two and a half hours until we get to the house.” Lena wasn’t sure how her mother managed to make that sound so cheerful.

 

_ She has the patience of a saint _ , Lena thought to herself. They were halfway through the ride home, and Ruby had been chattering endlessly to Kara, telling her all about the things she learned in first grade, the songs she liked to sing and dance to, and how well she played soccer. Kara, for her part, appeared to be listening attentively. She was smiling and nodding along with Ruby’s stories, asking all the right probing questions and making just the right comments and facial expressions. Lena alternated between resting her eyes on the passing trees and rolling hills, a far cry from the hustle and bustle of National City, and glancing in the rearview mirror to check and make sure Ruby wasn’t bothering Kara.

“Mom, will there be dinner at home? Kara and I haven’t really gotten a chance to eat anything since lunch,” Lena asked quietly. The cookies she had packed Kara certainly wouldn’t be enough to sustain Kara for much longer. In all honesty, Lena wondered why Kara hadn’t said anything; she’d certainly never been shy about what she ate before now.

“Oh, honey! We didn’t realize you’d be hungry. We can stop on the way home, right Rubes?” Mom apologized. “Ruby and I already had something to eat before we came to get you, but I’m sure she could eat a little something while you guys have your dinner.”

“Ooh, yeah, can I get fries? I like fries, Kara. Do you?” Ruby smiled, wiggling in her car seat. (She had already explained to Kara that she wasn’t a baby, even though she was still in a car seat; she just hadn’t grown out of her car seat yet, so her Mommy didn’t wanna buy a new booster seat until she had grown out of this one and maybe, if she grew enough, she could get one for her seventh birthday!)

“I do,” Kara nodded solemnly.

“Well, ladies, are you in the mood for anything in particular?” Lena’s mom asked.

“Whatever place has the biggest portions,” Lena said automatically. After a moment, she added, “I’m ravenous. Didn’t eat much at the airport.” Kara’s mouth twitched with a smirk, and Lena threw a grin over her shoulder before reaching back to squeeze Ruby’s foot. “Maybe you and I can split some fries, little one, hmm? And you can tell me all about the dress you’ve got for the wedding.”

“Yeah! But if I share fries, Nana, can I get ice cream, too?” Ruby hummed, kicking her feet. 

“We’ll see, love. Now, if we can hold on just ten more minutes, there’s an excellent little family owned restaurant by the water.”

“We can hold on, Mrs. Danvers,” Kara affirmed.

“Call me Eliza, dear, please.” Kara just nodded, leaning back against the seat and closing her eyes until they arrived at the restaurant. Thankfully, Ruby had also lapsed into silence, content to dance and hum along to the music on the radio as they drove along the coast, enjoying the crisp Maine air.

 

As the waiter brought over a third basket of warm rolls, Kara stared firmly at her hands, smiling sheepishly when she made eye contact with Lena as she grabbed another roll.

“I… have a big appetite,” Kara explained, looking over at Eliza and Ruby. They were sitting in a booth, Kara and Lena on one side with Eliza and Ruby on the other. Kara was sitting stiffly, back ramrod straight with almost a foot of space between her and Lena.

“It’s a good thing Lena eats like a bird, then,” her mom teased. “I imagine you get to finish her meals often.”

“I would if Lena weren’t so fond of kale,” Kara said, shuddering dramatically. Lena wasn’t sure if she’d ever heard Miss Zorel make a joke so casually before. Suddenly aware of the awkward way they were sitting, so stiff and far apart, Lena realized they’d need to shift their body language to make this lie convincing. Taking a risk, she leaned over to bump Kara’s shoulder with her own.

“It’s not my fault you never eat vegetables.” Kara swallowed her mouthful of bread before gasping dramatically.

“I’ll have you know I had a vegetable just last night,” she said indignantly.

“Do you mean the piece of lettuce on your sandwich from Noonans?” Lena challenged, quirking an eyebrow.

“Lettuce is a vegetable!” Kara protested.

“You took one bite then pulled the lettuce out and put it on your plate,” Lena deadpanned.

“Why do I have to eat my veggies if Kara doesn’t?” Ruby protested.

“Because Kara is a grown-up. She’s finished with all of her growing. You, my little bean, have a lot of growing left to do. You need the vitamins and nutrients that vegetables can give you,” Lena’s mom explained.

“I do eat vegetables. I just prefer to be the one cooking them,” Kara admitted. “I’m very particular about the flavor and texture.”

“Oh, you cook, Kara? Lena, you didn’t tell us Kara cooks. What kinds of things do you like to make?” Eliza smiled serenely at Lena and Kara, both of whom were tense, minds racing to try and predict the other’s reaction.

“Italian food,” Lena said.

At the same moment, Kara said, “Chinese food, mostly.” They laughed awkwardly.

“Well, Chinese food is Kara’s favorite. If I let her choose all the time, we’d be having a lot of potstickers and stir fry,” Lena chuckled.

“As if the Italian is any better for you,” Kara scoffed playfully. “It’s all carbs and butter!”

“Well, it’s a good thing we don’t have it all the time, then, isn’t it?” Lena was surprised by the ease with which she could tease her fearsome boss, playfully hitting her shoulder and scowling at her.

“Oh, Kara, I have a lovely recipe for cannolis that Lena loves. It’s my husband’s grandmother’s. I always make Lena a batch when she comes home so that she can take them back to the city with her. Maybe you could help me make them before you go,” Lena’s mom offered. Kara suddenly became very interested in her glass of water, taking a long sip and blinking rapidly. She put the glass down, and Lena could have sworn she saw her hand shaking.

She responded, “I’d like that very much, Mrs. Danvers.” She gave Lena’s mom a small smile, and she looked so fragile in that moment, as if one harsh word from Dr. Eliza Danvers would be enough to break her. The waiter’s return for their orders broke the moment, and by the time they were alone again, Kara had recomposed herself and steered the conversation into the safer, more neutral topic of the upcoming weekend.

 

By the time they had arrived at the docks, Ruby had fallen asleep in the back seat and Lena was starting to feel drowsy herself. The sun had set as they ate dinner, and the air had turned colder. Once the car was parked, Lena realized that she had forgotten to mention to Lena that they would have to get in a boat to get to her family’s home.

“This isn’t our hotel,” Kara whispered to Lena as they came around to the trunk to get their bags.

“Oh, we cancelled your hotel reservation. Family doesn’t stay in a hotel,” Eliza interrupted, smiling at them. “Lena, can you get the bags onto the boat? I don’t want to wake Ruby until it’s actually time to get her on the boat.” Lena obediently got the bags, and Kara followed with her own, power walking to lean into Lena’s ear.

“ _ Boat?! _ ” she hissed. “You never mentioned getting to your house involving a  _ boat _ .”

“Because I didn’t think it mattered. Our hotel doesn’t involve a boat,” Lena explained tersely as they approached the dock. Thankfully, the dock was well lit for the evening, and Lena’s father had finally gotten around to putting in a ramp so they they wouldn’t have to climb down that infernal wooden ladder or toss their luggage down, risking it falling into the ocean. “What’s your problem with a boat?” 

Kara just muttered darkly, her words lost in the echoing clanging sounds of the suitcase wheels on the metal dock. Kara stayed firmly in the middle of the dock, muscles tense and body stiff as she passed Lena the luggage. They returned to the car, and Kara immediately scooped up Lena’s bag, holding it out to her to help her arms into it. Lena knew her mother was watching, and that was the only reason Kara was helping her like this, but she had to admit that it felt nice to be cared for.

“Ready?” Lena’s mom asked. The two women confirmed with a nod, and Lena’s mother leaned into the car, trying to coax Ruby into waking and walking with them to the dock. “I know, little one,” she heard her whisper. “But you can sleep again as soon as we get in the boat. Nana can’t carry you anymore.”

“I can,” Kara offered softly. “If you wanted to let her sleep?” Her eyebrows were knitted together in concern as she watched Lena’s niece easily let her eyes close again.

“Are you sure? She’s heavier than she looks,” Mom warned. Kara just nodded, waiting for Lena’s mom to step aside so she could pull Ruby out of the car seat by her armpits, easily balancing her on her hip. Ruby’s head immediately fell onto Kara’s shoulder, dark hair spilling over her face as she slumbered on, uninterrupted. Her legs hung limply around Kara’s waist and her arms were lazily draped over Kara’s shoulders, but Kara didn’t appear tired in the slightest.

“Off we go, then,” Eliza said cheerfully, leading them down to the boat. Once they were all settled into their seats and wearing neon orange life jackets—even wrangling one onto the still-sleeping Ruby—Lena’s mom got behind the wheel of the boat and took off across the dark water. Even with Ruby still on her lap, sound asleep, Kara was as stiff as a board as the boat bounced over the waves. Lena just closed her eyes, inhaling the smell of the sea as the salty spray hit her face. As the small island came into view, Lena watched Kara’s expression change - her eyes widened, her jaw slackened, and she squinted, trying to make out the details in the dark.

The Danvers home, located on a small island outcropping, stood among the evergreens. It was a classic, Victorian Era New England home. Three stories tall, the house was a brilliant white with dark shingles on the roof. A square tower outcropping cut through the center of the home, and a veranda wrapped around the entire first floor. The grass in front of the home was lush and green, and it appeared to backup to a dense forest. As Lena’s mom pulled into the dock and moored the boat properly, Lena took note of the kayaks and canoes and jetskis that were stored on the shoreline, the porch swing, and the dirt bikes leaning against the side of the shed, trying to see this as Kara would.

As they disembarked onto the dock, the front door of the house was thrown open, and light spilled onto the yard. Three figures came jogging down the lawn to greet the group as they came up from the dock. Lena glanced over at Kara, who hitched Ruby up higher onto her hip.

“Welcome home,” Lena’s mom said, a hand on each woman’s shoulder as she grinned up at the house. Lena turned and smiled weakly at Kara.

“Welcome home,” she parroted. Kara just snorted.


End file.
